A Call To Arms!
by SandSniper
Summary: Clark goes to war. Just not a standard issue war. Everyone else grows up and then it all comes together.
1. Default Chapter

A Call to Arms!

Author's Introduction:

Minimal sex (rather do it than write about it) but lots of violence (Gee, maybe I need to do more regular dating) so I really don't know what the rating should be so lets go with NC-17 to cover my ass. That said it will be pretty tame and ok for a 12 year old to read for quite a while until the sniper/torture scenes.

First fiction ever, in fact, haven't written an English essay since high school. More of a science and math type. I guess the best way to describe this fiction is the story will be better than the writing. That said if any of the better writers on this site what to steal themes or ideas in this story that I haven't stolen in the first place please feel free to do so. Like everyone else I want to be entertained by better writing than mine.

I have no beta readers (honestly if my mates found out I was writing stuff like this I would have to shoot them myself since I would never hear the end of it) and embarrassingly weak written language skills so the spelling, grammar and punctuation are really going to suck. It just so happens that knowing grammar and punctuation won't help keep me from getting slotted out here in the sandbox so I just don't have the motivation to learn it. Thus, all of you who read this are just going to have to live with my endless written English muck-ups. However, on the plus side please feel free to flame as nasty as can be and as many times as you want. Any and all feedback works for me.

With a handle like SandSniper on ff & kryptonsite I am of course posting from the Middle East and with the election over and minimal shooting of flies in Falujah going down I should be able to update on a regular basis.

I have only seen up to Season 3 episode Truth and am watching Smallville on the German RTL satellite network (when I can) which is available out here in the Sandbox. Everyone on Smallville speaking German to each other is pretty funny. That said this fiction is dedicated to who ever makes the effort to write out the episode transcripts in English and post them on the internet. My German is no where are good as my Arabic so I watch Lana Lang slink around in German on RTL with a print out of your episode transcripts in my lap so thanks to whoever you are.

There are no spoilers since all of you are way ahead of me and this story is going in the direction of Sandman's universe not the Powers-That-Be/WB universe.

I have read some posts and a several season 4 episode transcripts so know Lana went to Paris and picked up a new boyfriend named Jason etc so that stuff is in here even though I've never seen any of the episodes.

BTW Ryan didn't die but was adopted by the Kent's. I will be writing Whitney in later since he is one of my favorite characters. I really like how he grew up over the course of the first season. I think Eric Johnson made Whitney so much more than the standard stupid jock character. How Whitney longed to leave Smallville and do something in the world even while being so in love with Lana. And also how Whitney was so scared of ending up as a washed up smalltown "remember him" sports hero. I can't believe on the show they killed him off with a whimper so in my fiction he is more rifle than man and more man than just about anybody. I also am a big Pete fan and am rather pissed that he got dropped from the show. Honestly he is the only one that deserved to know Clark's secret.

For all the Lana fans: Please be assured that I am not bashing her at all. All I can say is please bear with me and don't judge too soon. After Supes, Ms Lang is my favorite character. I am just initially writing Lana quite bitchy and edgy since that seems the way the posts in the forums describe her in Season 4. She will come back to the light but it will be quite a way down the road in this particular story.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters but that said screw the Owners, if any of the powers-that-be really think I am making some cash off this self indulgent, endlessly melodramatic, over the top violent, hack story then please feel free to sue my ass and when they come out to the sandbox to collect I will be happy put the cross hairs on their forehead and put a boattailed hollowpoint through their brains.

I did steal the Punishers outfit since the Superman one really needs to be updated. It hasn't aged well at all.

Also the Kzin Aliens are the product of Larry Nivin's Known Space novels like Ring World and the Man-Kzin wars (BTW fantastic books). Also stole an idea that will come up much later from Joe Haldeman's classic sci-fi novel The Forever War.

The sniper stuff is just a day at the office for the Sandman. BTW I will be using SAS slang for the military stuff rather than US Marines/Delta i.e. Ruperts officers, slotted killed etc. Also regarding military equipment I know it's not the US Marine standard M-40A3 or Barrett 50 Cal but in my story I just had to make Whitney's sniper rifle my beloved AWM .338 Lapua.

Now on to the story!

Story Title: A Call to Arms!

Part 1: Aliens & a Few Shrimp on the Barbie!

It was a beautiful fall day in Smallville. Lex was hosting a company barbecue for all the Talon staff at the mansion. Lex strolled over to one of the beer coolers by a picnic table. He bent over and reached into the cooler and then stood up and looked over at Jonathan Kent, who with sidekick Ryan was manning the barbecue. They locked eyes and Lex lifted up one of the beers giving it a little shake and got a quick thumbs up from Jonathan Kent. Never in his wildest dream would Lex have believe the day would come when Jonathan Kent by choice would have a couple beers on a lazy Indian summer afternoon in the Luthor mansion's backyard.

A lot of the credit for the signing of the peace treaty between Lex and both Jonathan and Clark went to Martha Kent. Lex thought once on how he said to Lana that with her pure heart as his business partner for the Talon she was irreplaceable. Lex looked over at Martha Kent casually chatted with Chloe and the young couple Lana and Jason while the four of them with bemused looks observed each and every one of Pete's 'pimp on the loose' pick up attempts. Lex just had to conclude that 'there really are more than a couple good people with pure hearts in the world but just not in the Luthor world'.

The ironic thing to Lex was that he was getting along better with Jonathan and Martha than he was with Clark. It was going to take a long time but Lex was determined to get his friendship back on course with Clark. It wasn't that he thought Clark needed his friendship but more like he needed Clark as a steadying influence to control his demons. After the conviction of his father the darkness that Lex felt such an integral part of his soul had faded to the far corners of his mind. But Lex had enough self awareness to know that the temptation of evil had gone away never to return. After all he was his father's son. But it did mean that with a little help from the one true friend he had ever had in his life and along with his new relationship with Clark's parents now Lex felt he had a real chance at fighting his demons.

If Lex was ever going to conquer the temptations that plagued his father's life it would be from the example of how to live a good life the Kent's provided from center stage at the Kent farm to a cynical world every day of their lives.

Yea, the world was a weird place. Lex heard Lana and Martha's infectious laughter as Jason just snickered as the three continued to scope out the Peter Ross show. For the first time in recorded history at the mansion cruising through the barbecue hitting on every Talon waitress that didn't have a boyfriend in tow was Pete Ross. Lex got a quick nod in thanks as he handed Jonathan the beer. His nose checked out Jonathan & Ryan's cooking efforts while he looked over at Pete who after running out of the last available girl to hit on now walked over to join Clark.

Pete ended up sitting beside Clark on the top of one of the picnic tables resting his feet on the seat. It's not like Lex and Pete were finally friends; after all never had Pete in the past cut Lex any slack. And it's not even like he deserved or expected any slack from Pete. But since Lex stopped that rogue FBI agent from tossing Pete handcuffed into the river Pete at least stopped treating him with open contempt.

The final result of this thawing out of their non existent relationship was that Pete today had at last walked onto the mansion grounds for the first time. Lex had no illusions that all was well between him and Pete. Most likely Pete showed up just to spend time with the Kents, Chloe and Clark and for the 'no boyfriend accessory' Talon waitresses. It was just a quick weekend visit from Wichita for Pete but it did make Lex happy that he decided to come to the barbecue and on arrival had actually acknowledged Lex as the host.

Maybe it was all coming together for Lex and these people that in his three years in Smallville had become such an important part of his life. With his father in prison he was working out the division of Luthor Corp assets with Lucus. Once again the fertilizer plant was showing a strong bottom line with Gabe Sulivan back as general manager. Clark was speaking with him even if memories of the Clark investigation room still hung over their friendship.

Besides Martha there was Ryan as a much needed lifeline for Lex into the Kent's world. After being adopted by the Kents, Ryan became and stayed a regular visitor to the mansion to play pin ball, video games and to borrow and discuss Warrior Angel comics. Even after the exposure of the Clark Investigation room Ryan never cut off Lex the way Clark and his parents did.

Lex got the feeling that Ryan somehow knew that Lex was on the edge of the darkness and needed some connection to the goodness of the Kents to keep him from being completely enveloped. The net result had been Lex ending up needing Ryan much as Clark and his parents.

Now even Pete tolerated his presence. Chloe was alive after surviving his fathers attempt on her life. She was back to Smallville high for senior year. Once again acting the part of the bloodhound reporter on the trail of this year's breakthrough story that would land her into the top ranked journalism program at Metropolis Universality.

The lovebirds Lana and Jason had finally forgiven him for getting Jason fired from his job at Smallville High. Of course that only came after Lex set up Jason with an seriously over paid job in the ultimate '_make work'_ project at Lex Corp. Lex give a little smile to the world as he thanked the Gods that unlike Clark at least he was off Lana's bad boy list.

In Martha Kent he found a business partner as honest, competent and pure hearted as Lana. And her husband Jonathan Kent was barbecuing and having a beer in the backyard of his mansion. All in all for Lex it all adds up to a beautiful Indian summer day.

However, something is rotten or at least very alien in the State of Kansas.

…To be continued as Part 2: Stupid Wylie E Coyote Pet Alien Tricks!……

PS Reviews are nice and don't forget to flame all you want.


	2. A Call to Arms Part 2

Part 2: Stupid Wylie E Coyote Pet Alien Tricks!

After having Pete unsuccessfully work his way through the Talon's waitresses the holdouts were now waiting for the main event. There was not a single waitress including the two engaged ones that didn't have at least a bit of a crush on the boss ladies son. However as usual after a couple minutes of watching Clark and Pete chat the Talon's waitresses all knew that they are wasting their time if they were expecting Clark Kent swagger over and try his luck in the love & sex pool.

After all the Talon waitresses were girls and thus intuitively knew that Clark was that very rare kind of guy that was just not casual about romance. Really it's like Clark Kent wasn't even human.

As long as any girl in Smallville had known Clark every single female that crossed Clark's path got the telepathic message he sent out at maximum volume that he was already in love bad and hey it's a bummer because it's not with her.

Even that homicidal maniac Alicia picked up on Clark's feelings so a Talon waitress that spent all day getting hit on by Smallvillie's men in a coffee shop knew the one thing that Clark Kent couldn't keep secret. Every single Talon girl knew that Clark Kent was still head over hells for Lana Lang. None of them could explain why Clark had ended their short lived relationship as a couple with Lana but they all knew the boy still had it bad for her.

There are only so many fish in the Smallville Sea so it's tough for small town girls to accept that the nicest and hottest guys always end up crushing on Lana Lang. Whitney Fordman the handsome quarter back and small town sports hero fell for Lana Lang like a ton of bricks. Clark Kent went from geek to quarterback and it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out a big part of the motivation was Lana Lang.

It's just felt so unfair to the Smallville girls that when Lana Lang finally leaves town and goes to Paris she doesn't stay there. Instead she comes back after just a summer and even Paris couldn't resist her charms. She lands back in Smallville and ends up being chased half way around the world by lovesick Mr. 'American in Paris' Jason Teague. Lana Lang has all the luck with men in Smallville and then even gets lucky in love in Paris.

The Talon's company barbecue continued to lazily roll though the afternoon. Finally things started to wrap up. The Talon waitresses and their boyfriends strolled off home after thanking Lex and Martha for the fun and relaxing get together on the company coin. Out came the makeup and cash cards as the Talon girls left to get ready for another Saturday night of searching for Clark's evil 'but hopefully available' twin in Smallville.

Lex headed off to chat with Lana and Jason and Chloe while Clark and Pete strolled over to grab the last of the burgers Jonathon was cooking up. The barbecue was set up close to the back door entrance to the mansion's kitchens. Pete managed to snatch the last of the burgers while Jonathon and Martha held hands and nuzzled like teenagers. Pete was too busy with the burger to come up with a sarcastic comment to further embarrass Clark about his parent's public display of affection. Clark didn't even take the time to clear his throat but turned away from the Jonathon and Marsha pre-hay-loft-shag show to look again at Lana and Jason, Lex and Chloe hanging on and around the picnic table.

Lana and Jason were holding hands and along with Lex were intent on listening to Chloe. Clark was sure she was updating them on the blow by blow hunt of her latest 'wall of weird' story in progress.

Then in the midst of this lazy after noon barbecue suddenly Clark was jolted as a wave of intense feeling swept like physical phenomena through his body. Clark had never felt anything like this before. It was a power and pressure moving up the inside of his spine like Kundalini energy in a yoga master. The feeling flowed through his neck and into his head. A cocktail of dejavu and kundalini hit his brain but instead of a feeling of enlightenment and contentment it was more like the ultimate adrenaline hit of flight or fight.

Without even checking if anyone was looking Clark spun around in a panic at super speed with senses of high alert. A very confused Clark looked around but nothing and nobody was there. He was positive he was being: watched? staked? hunted? found? Then as if his line of sight was being guided by a compass at the far end of the mansion's yard, at the end of the lawn, just before the main gardens started he saw what had brought on such intense feelings.

Off the ground, maybe a couple hundred feet up, hanging in mid air exactly the way bricks don't was at least what looked like, a man.

…..Only not a human

...To be continued as Part 3: Look who dropped in for Dinner………

PS Reviews are nice and don't forget to flame all you want.


	3. A Call to Arms Part 3

Part 3: Look Who Dropped in for Dinner!

Clark just stared in disbelief for a second before reaching out to his left and knocking Pete's hamburger out of his hands.

"Dam it, Clark that was the last burger"

"Pete, there at the end of the lawn, up over the garden. High up, do you see it?"

"Oh, shit"

"Dad, Mom, Ryan, look over the garden but don't point. Lex and the others haven't seen it."

A second later the faces of Jonathan, Martha and Ryan joined Clark and Pete's in the same look of disbelief. Then as if Wiley E. Coyote realized he had walked off the ledge and was standing on nothing the thin air act illusion was busted and the levitation man fell. Well, fell is the wrong word, more like the man made a two hundred foot casual step to the ground.

Chloe just then looked up toward the barbecue and saw the faces of the Kents and Pete in stunned symmetry looking behind her and over her head.

"What's up, guys?" No answer from any of the hypnotized group so Chloe turned and looked behind her to see what all the fuss was about.

There, standing on the edge of the lawn, near the back garden was a man. A very tall, muscular, man wearing a black body suit. His hair was spiked high and colored orange down the middle but blond on the sides in some kind of weird punky style that looked like a combination of a mullet and mohawk. Gee, wild hair and really tall; like around an inch or so taller than Clark who really stretched up there. Chloe guessed him around 6'4" or even a little more. Solid body; like made of solid steel. A pair of high angular cheekbones that looked strangely familiar to her. It all came with a strong Jaw that looked like it had been sculpted out of granite by Michelangelo. His shoulders were what Wall Street traders buying Hugo Boss power suits in the 80s could only dream of.

Chloe did the expected double take and realized that there were three things that were really disconcerting about him at first glance.

First was who other than a comic book hero wears a black body suit?

Second was his eyes were covered by what looked like dark glasses but without any rims. It was like the dark lenses were floating in place over his eye sockets.

Finally third there was a huge white skull on his chest. The question that flashed through Chloe's head was what the hell is a pirate with a punk haircut wearing the Jolly Roger on his chest doing in Lex's backyard?

Then Lana and Jason picked up on the staring contest going on and along with Lex and they all turned around together to see the stranger that was now the center of attention of everyone left at the barbecue.

Lex never one to remain startled for too long slipped into a combination of property owner and host mode.

"Excuse me but this is private property. Say, are you perhaps one of the friends of the Talon waitresses? You missed them. They all left about twenty minutes ago."

The stranger ignored him. Clark reacted in super speed and stopped when he was even with Lex's group who were all intently observing the stranger.

Clark quickly said "It's ok Lex; please don't do anything. Just stay where you are. In fact, everyone stay where they are."

"Do you know this guy, Clark?"

"Please Lex, just listen to me."

Ryan then called out, "Clark, I've got nothing. I can't read him at all."

'why doesn't that surprise me,' Clark thought.

…To be continued as Part 4: Greetings Smallville, take me to your Krytonian Farm Boy!………….

PS Reviews are nice and don't forget to flame all you want.


	4. A Call to Arms Part 4

Part 4: Greetings Smallville, take me to your Krytonian Farm Boy!

The stranger then said something in a language that if a trained linguistic had been listening would have placed it as an unknown but most likely oriental tone based language.

Clark had never heard it spoken before but knew in a flash exactly what language it was and said the first thing in English that came into his head.

"You're not from Smallville."

Then for Clark the second biggest surprise of the barbecue happened.

The stranger looked at Clark and said in slow but even English, "That's right. I'm from where you are from."

Clark's eyes dropped from the no visible means of support sunglass lenses to the huge skull on the stranger's chest. In a glance he knew the skull wasn't quite right. The eye sockets too oval and large for the face. Also the teeth were too long. However if not a modern human skull there was no mistake that it was a big white skull staring back at Clark. It's at this moment that the realization hit Clark that this stranger was if nothing else really scary. And that's not in a good way.

Clark knew he was way out of his league with this stranger but had to do his best to save everyone. Clark went the diplomatic route first and moved his right arm in a brief half circle pointing to the others.

"I won't let you hurt anyone."

The stranger smiled and lots of blazing white teeth appeared.

"I didn't come all this way just to step on the ants."

'Well, that's a relief,' thought Clark as he let out a big lung full of air he had been holding.

The barbecue crowd moved forward to listen to the cryptic exchange going on between Clark and the stranger. They stopped even with Lex's group which was about twenty feet behind Clark and the stranger.

"Then why did you come to Smallville?"

"I came for you."

Clark felt a momentary twinge of panic but was surprised to discover the stranger's presence was now having a kind of calming effect. So he quickly recovered to continue questioning.

"My parents?"

"Dead"

"How?"

"War."

Clark would have said the answer didn't surprise him but to be honest everything about the barbecue was a surprise.

"Did you know my parents?"

"Very well. I introduced them to each other. You look very much like your father…but you have your mother's eyes; my eyes."

The floating sun glass lenses disappeared and Clark was looking into his own piercing robin egg blue eyes for the first time not in a mirror but in the face of the stranger.

"Why…why do you have my…. I mean my mother's eyes?"

"That's not all I have of your mother. She looked very much like me; except of course very beautiful. After all Lara was my sister; my twin sister. "

The silence hung in the air for a few seconds and then Jonathon Kent just couldn't take this any more and yelled out to Clark. "We don't know that Clark…this could be a trick."

The stranger never looked at Jonathon and completely ignored the outburst. Clark turned around to his father and in a cold clear voice said: "Dad, you know what could happen in a heartbeat so for everyone's sake do not say anything more."

Clark then took a deep breath a returned his attention to the stranger.

"Why did you take all this time to come to Smallville? After fifteen years why now?

The stranger looked briefly up and then dropped his eyes to look directly at Clark.

"Several different reasons: Smallville is a long way away from our home. It's not on our maps. And there is a war on. The same war that killed your parents and forced them to send you away to Smallville to save your life. There wasn't as much time to search as I needed between battles. War keeps us busy."

Clark took in the stranger's words and thought about his birth parents and was suddenly over come by an intense feeling of sadness. But a bitter sweet sadness that was mixing with contentment and acceptance that came from for the first time in his life finding someone exactly like him. The feeling of loneliness that haunted him each day of being the only one in the universe was fading.

………….To be continued as Part 5: I wouldn't Have Told Them Either!...

PS Reviews are nice and don't forget to flame all you want.


	5. A Call to Arms Part 5

Part 5: I Wouldn't Have Told Them Either!

"I've been alone here for so long and always have been so lonely. Even before my parents told me the secret about myself."

Now out of Lex, Chloe and Lana came a collective gasp for air! Jason just looked confused.

For the first time the confident expression on the stranger was replaced by controlled surprise.

"You didn't know? Your parents of Smallville didn't tell you who you are?

The stranger moved from directly in front of Clark and looked at the staring group. It was pretty weird but no one in the group said a thing. Later each would wonder why they didn't speak up but Lex as usual came up with the most logical answer. It was that at some primeval level they were all completely and totally scared to death of the stranger. So survival instinct kicked in and it silently screamed into the ear of each of the people of Smallville standing on the lawn do not poke this tiger but just be quiet and listen.

The stranger turned back to Clark and said: "Who knows? Who have you told about yourself?"

With that question from the stranger everyone in the backyard flinched and then once again the entire audience on mass leaned forward.

"I've actually never told anyone the whole truth just parts of it to Kayla and Alicia. It's just too dangerous. I mean some people know but never from me. It's not fair to put them in such a situation. Dr Swan figured it out on his own."

With that revelation Chloe's eyebrows started to dance.

Clark turned and pointed toward Pete and Ryan and continued. "Pete just found out two years ago but it was by accident. My brother Ryan found out on his own, the year before Pete. Before that it was just my parents who knew the day they found me but thought it best to keep it hidden from everyone including me."

"I am surprised your parents of Smallville were able to keep it secret. Surprised but I understand their reasons. Even with the short period of time I have spent in Smallville keeping such a secret does appear like a good idea. These people of Smallville are not very impressive, nothing in them to admire and are very xenophobic"

Clark continued to fill in the stranger on his life while everyone else at the barbecue tried to get a handle on the conversation.

"It's quite a shock and pretty hard for anyone to handle. When I was growing up my parents didn't even tell me. Then I found out it was three years ago…freshman year, just before homecoming dance."

Clark turned around briefly and pointed at Jonathan and then continued. "When Dad first told me that evening soon after the accident with Lex and just before the homecoming dance I didn't believe him."

"Then Dad proved it to me and I completely freaked and ran off to mope in the graveyard for hours. I was so scared and lonely but the Lana was there and we had our first conversation. When she talked to me about the problems in her life even though I couldn't discuss what I found out about myself that night listening to her problems kind of pushed mine to a place where I could accept the secret."

It was hard to believe but after hearing that from-the-heart confession out of Clark Kent, Lana Lang's eyes got even bigger.

"It is incredible that you thought you were like them for so long."

The stranger took a few paces forward and took a studied look at the people of Smallville.

"They are so delicate, so fragile," he then turned back to Clark, "but when it comes to emotions they are shallow but so strong; completely hard."

The stranger pointed to the Kents, Pete and Ryan, "So they know but no one else here, why didn't you tell anyone else?"

"I could never tell anyone else for two reasons: First it was too dangerous for anyone to know. Twice keeping the secret almost killed Pete.

Second I couldn't trust them. Lex was paying people to investigate me. He had a whole room up there filled with information about me. Chloe turned out to have traded information about me to Lionel Luther in return for a column in the Daily Planet.

"Lana wanted to know and I wanted to tell her but it was too dangerous for her and me both. I saw what the secret did to Pete. Having to keep the secret to protect her meant she didn't trust me and it destroyed our relationship."

Lana started to say something but stopped as Clark continued in full ramble mode, "No matter how many times I saved her it was never enough for her to accept that some things about me needed to stay private. Her lack of trust in me just ate away at her feelings for me and ended our relationship so finally she decided to move on and went to Paris and met Jason."

Clark started to get nervous with the conversation. It was turning out to be too personal, too revealing and also he felt that the stranger might reveal his secret in casual conversation. Maybe the stranger wasn't concerned about secrets since he would leave but Clark was still grasping at straws that this incident could be explained away since Lex and none of his group had seen the stranger defying gravity.

To head off a potential 'there are two aliens in the backyard' revelation Clark went for a quick change in topic: "What is your name?"

"I am Thor-el. And since we are on the topic of names would you prefer Kal-el or your Smallville name."

Clark was starting to really warm up to the stranger Thor-el.

"Gee, thanks for asking. Well, since we are in Smallville lets use Clark."

"Clark, we are only in Smallville for now. In a short time….very soon, you must leave with me."

………To be Continued as Part 6: Time to Beam Up!………

PS Reviews are nice and don't forget to flame all you want.


	6. A Call to Arms Part 6

Part 6: Time To Beam Up!

Martha let out a sharp wail while Jonathan stepped forward toward the Thor-el.

Clark immediately turned and held out his hand. "No Dad…Mom; you both know….not safe….danger….and stop anyone else from talking."

He turned back to Thor-el and said, "What do you mean? Why do you want me to go with you? You can't force me."

"Actually I can but that is not why you must leave. In truth, you don't have a choice. You are in great danger here."

Lex leaned over the Chloe, Lana and Jason and whispered, "This has to be Clark's secret. All the explanations for my accident on the bridge to the endless rescues of all of us. Is anyone following this conversation?" Lana didn't even make eye contract with Lex but just shook her head. Chloe turned to him for half a second and said, "Lex, I don't understand what is going on but I feel really scared and ashamed of how I made Clark feel about me."

Lex didn't take his eyes off Thor-el but said back to her, "You and me both, Chloe, you and me both."

Jason tried to say something but Lana stopped him with, "Not now Jason, this is deadly serious. Look at the Kents and Pete. They are scared to death. Don't say a word. I have to find out what is going on; we all do"

Jason shut up and just gave a squeeze to Lana's hand which she ignored. Lex had to agree with Lana's conclusions. The four continued to focus their attention on Clark and Thor-el's cryptic conversion.

Thor-el was saying, "We are not as invincible as you think. What you have now, just power is temporary and that is where the danger to you in Smallville lies."

Thor-el looked up and then dropped his eyes to make direct contact with Clark. "Clark you must answer this question and be completely honest…..can you do what I was doing when your first saw me?"

Lex, Chloe and Lana looked like they were going to explode in confusion while they waited for Clark's answer.

Clark gave a silent pray of thanks that Thor-el didn't ask in front of everyone if he can fly!

Clark shifted nervously on his feet and glanced over to Lex, Chloe, Lana and Jason. There were four of them sitting on the top of the picnic table looking like the three monkey's that hear no evil, say no evil and see no evil but with an extra monkey called Jason the confused.

Clark said, "Only a couple times when I am sleeping. When I wake up it stops. Once a couple years ago was I able to kind of do it while awake. I was under a lot of stress due to a tornado and kind of willed my self to do it for a minute or two."

Tornado! Lana Lang gulped her heart down out of her throat and safely got it back into her chest. How could a conversion where you don't understand a single thing being said be so interesting?

"That's good to know because it means I found you in time. You see Clark with great powers also comes great weakness but just not at the same time. Nature has found a way to even in Smallville keep the universe in balance so the power comes first and then the weakness. What you saw me doing is the last one. After that you become extremely vulnerable."

'But I know about Kryptonite,' flashed through Clark's head.

"I know my weakness and always am careful to avoid it so what else is in Smallville that could be so dangerous to me?"

The next question was a complete surprise and got quite the reaction from the audience.

"Are you in love with anyone in Smallville?"

…..To be Continued as Part 7: Lana Lang: Body by Botticelli, Heart by Frigid Air!...

PS Reviews are nice and don't forget to flame all you want.


	7. A Call to Arms Part 7

Part 7: Lana Lang: Body by Botticelli, Heart by Frigid Air!

"Wha..wha..wha…what does that have to do with anything especially danger?"

"Trust me; a lot so just tell me"

"Ah ya…Ok Yes, I am but it's over. She ended it. Moved on. However, you want to say it. She found someone else."

"Yes, unlike us they are able to do that. So fragile in everything but their emotions."

Thor-el locked eyes with Clark and dropped this bomb, "Let me guess; you fell in love with her when you were five or six years old."

Lana let Jason's hand slip out of hers and again cycled a stunned doe eyed look of disbelief across her face. She felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up as chills ran down her spine. This was it. This was about her. She had heard more than once from both Chloe and Peter that Clark had fallen in love at the first sight of her in kindergarten.

Clark was so surprised he didn't even attempt to deny it.

"How did you know that?"

Thor-el laughed and held his hands out from his sides, "because that is when we always fall in love!"

He continued, "Your Smallville parents just didn't know for your own safety to keep you away from girls for those two years until you could learn some control. I really don't blame them. It is very hard for them to understand us and know how to safely raise a child that is so different. Now this is very important, until I can get you to safety you must stay away from this love of yours in Smallville."

Clark's face dropped and he turned to stare at Lana. Jason picked up on Clark's reaction and reached for Lana's hand and found it.

Thor-el immediately followed Clark's line of sight and for the first time looked directly at Lana.

Thor-el quietly asked Cark, "Is that who you are in love with in Smallville?"

Lana's heart once again ended up in her throat while everyone else waited in stunned silence.

For once it was no lame excuse or emotional dodge ball play. Clark straight out admitted it.

"Yes…I can't help it. I have no way of controlling it and every day it gets worse."

Thor-el walked past Clark while he looked at Lana. He then pointed at Lana as he turned back to Clark and said, "She is right there, that close. This is a critical situation. You have to leave with me and I mean now. You have no choice or she will kill you."

Well as expected with the announcement there was another in a long line of a sharp gasps from the crowd. Then everyone started talking at once. As quickly as the argument, explanation erupted it was stopped by Thor-el when he brought his hands together in one clap that was like a rifle shot.

For the first time Thor-el addressed not Clark but the Smallville audience. "Don't make me mad, you wouldn't like me mad." That shut everyone up; even Lana.

Thor-el said to Clark, "Tell the people of Smallville not to speak. We have only limited time and the danger is right there. Those people can choose to either leave or stay but if they stay then not a word. You know what I can do and it's also what I will do. If I have to deal with them then it will all end in not just in tears but a whole lot of screaming."

Clark had no doubt of what power lay in Thor-el so turned to their audience in the mansion's backyard and said, "Please don't say anything. Dad, tell them," as he pointed to the four that didn't know his secret. "Just how important it is to stay quiet."

Jonathan turned three sheets of white, turned softly said, "I don't understand this either but I know that even though it doesn't seem like it we are all in a dangerous situation here on this lawn. It's the same as being in fog walking in the mountains and fate has put you at the edge of a cliff. The danger is there even though you can't see it. Clark is right. For the love of life and limb be quiet."

The strange cryptic conversation continued.

"I have survived incredible things while carrying out dangerous rescues here in Smallville. How could Lana hurt me let alone kill me?"

Thor-el started to answer but then stopped.

"It would be better to never let anyone especially her know of your weakness. Their hearing is not very good so let's walk away to where I stepped onto the lawn and talk in private."

Clark turned to his parents and said, "Dad, just keep everyone here and stay calm. Let no one approach us. I will let you know what is said later."

Thor-el said to Clark, "You said that your friend Pete twice faced death without revealing your secret? He should join us and can later explain to those outside your family."

Clark just nodded and gestured to Pete to come over. Lex started to stand up but Clark raised his hand and shook his head.

Thor-el pointed down toward the end of the lawn and said, "You two go ahead I just need to ask your Smallville father a private question and I mean private so don't listen."

Clark was too stunned by the day so far to do anything else but nod. Then with Pete beside him Clark walked down to the end of the lawn to where the garden started.

Thor-el walked up to Jonathan and said, "I will answer your questions later but right now before I get more emotionally connected to Clark. I need you to answer a question."

"I don't want…"

"It doesn't matter what you want and you are aware of what I can do. Also don't lie because I can tell. My question is: Has Clark killed anyone?"

…To Be Continued as Part 8: Alien Reference Analogy: What Else but Star Trek!...

PS Reviews are nice and don't forget to flame all you want.


	8. A Call to Arms Part 8

Part 8: Alien Reference Analogy: What Else but Star Trek!

For a moment Jonathan was speechless then he recovered and gave his answer. "Clark has sometimes had to hurt bad people but only when it was required to save someone. He has never killed anyone and never hurt anyone unless there was no other choice."

"Ok, that's what I needed to know."

"But why would you ask such a thing?"

Thor-el eyes turned from robin egg blue into two cold slits of blue ice. "What do you do with someone who has the power to do anything? …..It depends on what they do with that power," He leveled his eyes at Jonathon and Martha and continued, "I was very relieved that your answer was what it was. You see if Clark was out of control I would have to kill him, here and now. I am the only one that could."

Jonathon felt his knees go weak and briefly thought he was going to pass out. While Martha again let out a sharp cry and brought her hand up over her mouth in a mixture of horror and disbelief.

Thor-el ignored them and acted as if the issue was closed and turned to walk down to join Clark and Pete.

Thor-el walked up to them and then for the first time addressed Pete directly.

"Please relax Pete and don't be afraid of me. I am very thankful for you being Kal-el…I mean Clark's friend here on this strange world. I discovered what I needed to know and would never hurt you or Clark."

Pete looked into Thor-el's eyes and saw raw unending power coupled with incredible emotion.

"Don't thank me. Clark has been my best friend from sandbox days and gives me more than I could ever give him. But I really don't know how Lana could ever be a danger to Clark."

The trio reached the end of the garden and Thor-el started to explain the whole mystery.

"I only learned English this morning so sorry if this is kind of rambling and uneven."

"This morning! Don't apologize; it was two years before I spoke my first English word."

Thor-el gave them both a big smile and continued with the explanation.

"Ok, while learning English this morning I took in some of the Smallville culture. In other words I watched some of your Smallville television. The popular entertainment programs about space aliens were particularly enlightening about Smallville culture. Clark do you know about a television program named Star Trek?"

"Wow, I am talking with a Kyptinian about Star Trek…..even before Dad told me I was an alien I loved to watch Star Trek."

"Do you remember the fictional aliens called Vulcans?"

"Of course, are you trying to tell me that Kypticain's don't have any emotions? Is that what is going to happened to me because right now I think I feel more than anyone in Smallville."

"No, that's not it at all"

Thor-el pointed to the audience at the opposite end of the garden that was talking excitedly to each other while shooting looks at the trio.

"Not us Clark, we are the furthest thing in the universe from these fictional Vulcans. It is the people of Smallvillle that are the Vulcans."

Thor-el's hand dropped back to his side and he continued.

"We have super strength, speed, invincibility and other super physical powers then why not other super powers? Only not everything super is a power especially when it's emotions? This is why it was so important for me to find you before you started to fly. Flight is the last power and then what comes next are super emotions. They will start to grow stronger until they are comparable to your physical powers."

Both Clark and Peter were stunned.

"Clark, right now your emotions are about twice as strong as a native of Smallville. You will fly soon and then a couple days later your emotions will start to strengthen until they are many times greater than they are now."

Thor-el brought his hand in over his heart.

"This is why Lana is such a danger to you. Today your emotions about Lana hurt far more than a human's emotions but still they are not very strong. However, after flying you will be physically strong enough to survive a nuclear bomb going off in your hand. Now try to imagine how strong emotions are that can kill where a nuclear bomb cannot. You must be aware of this because of the emergence of super Krypton emotions your vulnerability appears."

Thor-el knew what was coming was going to be hard for Clark to accept, especially a Clark that was so in love with Lana but he continued. It was the only way to save Clark.

"What I am saying Clark is you can die of a broken heart."

Thor-el pointed toward Jason and Lana who were still sitting with Chloe and Lex discussing in low voices the day's events. "And that human woman is going to break your heart. Dieing of a broken heart is a long horrible death, Clark. None of them can feel the way we do."

Clark started to slump forward and Thor-el reached out to steady him.

"Clark, she has found someone else; emotionally moved on. For her a 'love lost' is no threat to her life but nothing more than a learning experience. In her life she will fall in and out of love many times. All it takes for her to survive is a small period of time or meeting someone else to be a replacement. For us, time is no cure and neither is a new partner. For us a broken heart is a killer. Whether she wants to or not Lana will kill you."

Peter said, "Clark, are you ok?" There was no answer but Pete continued anyway, "Clark, this must be true. It makes only sense that with super physical powers comes super emotions. Lana is over you. She has moved on. You are an emotional mess over it. I guess what Thor-el is telling you is when these super emotions come then they will hurt you."

"Not hurt him; kill him," Thor-el corrected Pete. He then continued with Clark's explanation. "There is training that can help you control super emotions so you will completely feel the extreme emotional pain that makes Krytonians unique but they won't kill you. That training takes a very long time and can't be done in Smallville. That is why you have no choice Clark but to leave with me."

Clark didn't know what to think and all he could come up with was, "That's it then. Because Lana is in love with Jason I have to leave Smallville? Lana moves on so and I have to move to Outer Space? This isn't fair"

Thor-el briefty looked around and gave his opinion, "Not much on this planet is."

He then turned back to Clark and Pete, "The time to escape Smallville is critical because you could start flying at anytime. I am very sorry but we have to leave tonight."

Clark was in a complete daze: "This is just too much to take in. I can't imagine leaving my family, friends and Smallville. I can't choose that"

"You have to choose life" said Thor-el.

….To be Continued as Part 9: What Do Dodo Birds and Kryptonians have in Common?………….

PS Reviews are nice and don't forget to flame all you want.


	9. A Call to Arms Part 9

Part 9: What do Dodo Birds and Kryptonians Have in Common?

"It's not really a true choice but you must leave, for your own sake. I feel guilty taking you away from your life in Smallville but there is really no other option. It's not even like I am going to take you to safety because I am taking you to war."

"What? Oh, you mentioned a war that killed my parents. Is it still going on?"

"I will discuss it with you at great length after we leave. For now just know that the forces of darkness known as 'the Clove' and that of light are called the 'the Weave'. The two sides are in continuous battle all across the galaxy. Krypton was attacked by the Clove powers of darkness using green plasma based weapons that contaminated the fragments of our planet after it was destroyed. Billions died in the attack. Most of those that survived by being off world even with drugs and mental exercise still died of broken hearts over the loss of family, friends and our planet."

"Those of us that survived were only a few but we were the ones with more hate than love in us so were able to fight off the broken hearts. We joined the Weave to fight against the Web powers of darkness. Krypton should have been fighting with the Weave since the Clove first started their campaign to conquer the galaxy. But we were too complacent and arrogant. Being so powerful we never thought the Clove would never be a direct threat to Krypton so we were content to do nothing but observe a brutal war from what our leaders thought was the safe and moral high ground. That all changed in a one bloody day that saw our planet Krypton destroyed."

Thor-el looked visibly shaken especially in his eyes as he told the story. Pete realized then that there was not a chance that Thor-el had exaggerated the danger of super Kryptonian emotions whether facing the death of loved ones in the destruction of a planet or a broken heart courtesy of Lana Lang.

"All the survivors of Krypton that are left are warriors. Our special powers are vital to winning the war. In a battle in a yellow star solar system a single Kryptonian warrior is as valuable as a hundred star ships. In a red star system we still plan strategy and tactics and then from attack ships lead our allies into the battle. We fight from the front. None of us expect to survive the war. The Clove forces of darkness have destroyed the Kryptonian race but it is as doomed species sentenced to extinction the Krytpnians will win this war for the Weave and return freedom to the galaxy."

"Wow, how many of us are there?"

"Counting you, fourteen."

Clark between a choke and a whisper repeated "Fourteen" in disbelief.

"Once we were billions and now we are fourteen."

"Can't we have children? Or maybe clone? Are we doomed?"

"We are a long lived species. Very long. Nature doesn't design long lived species for easy procreation. Our powers make it impossible to clone us. Even the most advanced scientific species in the Weave or actually the whole galaxy can't find a way clone us. Believe me when Weave scientists saw how we fight they tried everything. As for natural methods, physical pleasure is easy to enjoy but we can only conceive a child with a partner we are in love with. When we fall in love it only happens once. For a Krytonian love really is forever."

Thor-el sighed and gave Clark a sad look.

"All this means is that the Krytonian race is doomed. However, it doesn't mean that we will disappear quietly into the night dripping with self pity. We choose our time of extinction and it's to die fighting for the freedom of the galaxy. When we are gone the galaxy will remember us as the point of the spear that defeated the Clove powers of darkness."

"If you stay here in Smallville you will soon die a horrible death of a broken heart. That is certain. If you choose to come with me then understand that I will be taking you into harm's way. It is almost certain that you along with the rest of us will not survive the war. You will however die for a cause that for us, the Kryptonians is greater than ourselves."

Clark took it all in and gave in involuntary shutter. He looked up at Lana, sitting beside Jason, looking so beautiful. Clark caught her eye and Lana gave him a reassuring smile combined with a bewildered look in her eyes. Clark was looking right at Lana but never saw what was behind the smile. All Clark could see that she was still holding Jason's hand. Lana Lang would always be holding Jason's hand. She was never going to let go of that hand for his hand. Clark's heart ached for her and at that moment in time in his mind, if not heart, the choice was made.

"I want to feel like I belong. I am so lonely here. Also, I want to make a difference. Lana is happy. She loves Jason not me. Jason is there to take care of her and give her honesty, children and a normal family life. All those things that I couldn't give her even if she loved me. So what more can I ask now that my Smallville life is at an end but for Lana to be happy."

Pete took the punch in the gut revelation that his best friend was leaving Smallville in the pit of his stomach. He was gutted that Clark would make the decision to leave everything he knew after a short conversation with a flying Alien at of all things a Smallville barbecue. But really what other choice was there for Clark. In his mind Pete just shrugged his shoulders and thought, 'Jesus Clark, it is not easy being you and it never seems to let up for even a moment.'

Maybe the super emotions were all ready growing because Clark picked up on Pete's feelings. Clark reached out to Pete and touched his shoulder.

"Peter, you have been the best friend an Alien in Smallville could ever ask for. Never once did you play the hurt friend card and harass me about my secret or investigate me. You just accepted me as your friend and respected my privacy while asking nothing in return."

Clark looked over to Lex, Chloe and Lana.

"The other ones just couldn't be trusted like you. Pete, for being my true friend I am so thankful."

Clark turned back to Pete who now was tearing up in what Thor-el thought was a rare display of human emotion.

"Pete, that's why you are the only one that could know my secret, the only one that can keep my secret is someone that didn't need to know it in the first place."

Clark gave Pete a quick hug and then said to Thor-el.

"There is a war on so when do we leave?"

…To be Continued as Part 10: Cryptic Goodbyes to the Barbecue Crowd!….

PS Reviews are nice and don't forget to flame all you want.


	10. A Call to Arms Part 10

Part 10: Cryptic Goodbyes to the Barbecue Crowd!

"Tonight. I understand how hard this is for you." Thor-el looked at Pete's face and continued, "For you both, Clark there really is nothing else that can be done. Let's go back to the others; then you and your family should now leave to return to your Smallville home. You need to explain all this in private to all your family so they understand that you are not leaving because of them but because it is a choice between survival vs a horrible death."

Thorel turned and looked at the barbecue crowd, "After you leave I will stay here with Pete for a few minutes and talk with those that do not know your secret. I assume even though you are leaving you don't want to expose your secret. I will tell them nothing directly important about us and our destination but I will make it clear, physically if required, that if they try to approach you or the Kent's home before we leave there will be a swift and brutal price to pay."

"What do you mean? You are not going to hurt anyone."

"Clark, I have been fighting a brutal war for a very long time. In this situation there are over six billion of them and only fourteen of us. If a choice has to be made then I will make it. But please understand that I will talk to them and try to make it crystal clear to each of them what the consequences are of trying to harm you."

"But they would never do that. They are my friends and I don't want anyone to get hurt."

"I know that Clark, please trust me on this. In your current vulnerable state if they come near you they are putting you in danger. So I am going to do nothing more than make it clear to them that there are consequences to any action they may be planning. Pete will stay and help me communicate my request that they leave you alone. So say your goodbyes to them now Clark but be very careful not to get close to any of them; especially Lana."

"I really don't think Lana wants to get close to me in any way."

"I know that hurts you Clark but it is good news for you both," Thor-el then turned to speak to Pete, "When I am finished my speech to them I will leave and then Pete it will give you a chance to explain to them in private how they have to leave Clark alone or suffer terrible consequences. They may need to hear that information from someone they know to be convinced and you are the only one they will believe. After you finish please come to the Kent's farm. We will be waiting for you"

Clark, Thor-el and Pete walked up to the others and were facing a lot of question filled faces.

...continued below...

...Continued from above...

Clark broke the silence, "Dad, Mom, Ryan it's time we left."

"Now?" Jonathon said.

"Yes, right now," Clark then turned to Thor-el and asked, "before I leave is there anything you can do for my father's heart condition and Ryan's brain tumor?"

"Of course! That is a request that is a pleasure to fulfill. We have someone that can fix both of them up. Our little military strike group is blessed with some really excellent medical personnel."

Clark then had a brain flash and added, "What about all the meteor rock buried around Smallville that is causing mutations? And also the people that are in comas and Bell Reeve due to Kryptonite exposure?"

"We can easily take care of most of the meteor strikes unless there is natural shielding and flush scan the Smallville victims of meteor exposure before we leave. I will just step away and summon the doctor while you say your goodbyes to your," Thor-el gestured toward Lex and his group, "so called friends." Thor-el then turned and stepped into the mansion.

'Well, at least he didn't fly off to get the doctor in front of everyone,' thought Clark.

Seeing the very scary Thor-el step away into the house Lex decided to try to regain some kind of control over what was happening literally in his backyard.

Lex called out to Clark in a voice that rung with desperation, "Clark, tell us what is going on. You owe it to us." Chloe and Lana quickly backed up Lex's request with a choir of "yes, you do" and a vigorous duo nodding of heads.

Clark turned around to them and gave them all a long cold stare. He was just about to give a blast at the trio of so called friends who as always were once again pulling the usual emotional blackmail shit when instead the blast what came out was a long world weary sigh.

What did it really matter at this point? Clark knew he wasn't going to see them ever again and they would all have better lives with him gone from Smallville. Thor-el was going to clean up most of the Kryptonite and help the victims of meteor exposure. Smallville would soon back to being just a sleepy Kansas small town. At this point to keep from being emotionally battered by his friends it is better to just say goodbye and walk away alive.

"Lex, I will leave that to the talk Pete and Thor-el are going to have with you all after we leave."

Clark then addressed the collective group, "After saving each of your lives many times I think I have earned to right to walk way today without getting a new mountain of guilt dumped on top of the usual guilt mountain I am already carrying around."

Lex started to speak but Clark cut him off. "No, just listen to this because this is it, my goodbye to each of you and life in Smallville."

Clark took a deep breath and continued, "Lex, you have been a good friend, I wish for nothing more than your success in all things. I do ask that you watch over my family for me since I won't be able to. You have greatness in you but use it for good and don't turn into your father."

Clark waved his hand again to cut off Lex and also shushed, Chloe and Lana who were trying to speak.

"Chloe, you are my dear friend, confidant and partner in so many wall of weird adventures. I know your dream is to work for the Daily Planet and that is also my dream for you. Don't worry for another minute about the passing of information to Lionel Luther. You came through in the end and risked your life to put him behind bars. You owe me nothing. I will remember our first kiss forever and I am truly grateful to have had you for a friend."

The past tense on the friend part hit Chloe hard. Chloe now finally realized that it was going to happen. Clark was leaving Smallville forever. What made it even worst was the wave of guilt that washed over her when Clark forgave her for selling him out to Lionel Luther. Chloe didn't even try to speak but just started to softly cry.

Clark turned to Lana but before he could say anything Lana jumped up and yelled, "Enough of the dramatic Oscar performance, Clark, what is going on? Are you really leaving? Who is that guy? Why would he say I would hurt you?"

Clark let her yell herself out for a few moments and then broke in with, "Lana, I really don't have the time or energy for this; and I really mean that part about the time. I just want to spend as much time with my family as I can before leaving. I only have the evening and then will be gone." Lana was shocked into stunned silence.

Clark then said, "Lana, I am very sorry for the so many ways and times that I hurt and confused you. All I have in my defense is I was worried about your safety. I told both Kayla and Alicia parts of my secret and both are now dead. So how could I tell you?"

"Lana, I wanted to be with you so bad but someone like me having such thoughts was stupid and selfish. After what I found out about myself that night I first spoke with you in the graveyard I should have been good enough to accept that I would never be anything to you. My only excuse for my inability to let go and let you be happy was that I was caught up in such selfish love. I just wasn't strong enough to admit even to myself that any chance I had with you was doomed."

Clark pulled himself together with another breath. "I am sad in my selfish way for myself but not sorry for you that you met Jason. At least now you have a chance at a normal life. I just want you to be happy. Now as I leave all I can do is wish you years of happiness and many children so you can have the family now that you missed out on as a child."

Clark started to falter but then managed to go on, "I am so very sorry for the death of your parents."

Lana started again to try to talk most likely that ask again 'what the hell is going on' but Clark jumped to Jason and quickly said, "Jason, we really don't know each other that well but I would like to say thanks for the help with football. I am sorry I won't be here to accept the scholarship but I still appreciate your efforts."

Clark looked over to Lana and gave her a look like his heart was being sledge hammered. Clark then finished what he needed to say, "Jason, all I can say is please take good care of Lana. She deserves to be happy, in fact, you both do."

Thor-el appeared at the archway leading into the mansion and said to Clark, "Time to leave for the Kent farm. The doctor is waiting there for Jonathan and Ryan."

Clark just nodded his head in reply and with the Kents turned start to walk into the mansion and then through to the front where they parked the cars.

Thor-el said "Just one thing more Clark, the doctor might appear to be kind of unusual to you and your family. Please don't be scared or concerned. She really is very good at all things medical and is also very sociable."

Clark got a concerned look on his face and said, "What do you mean by appear? What does the doctor look like?"

As expected everyone leaned forward to hear the description but Lex, Chloe, Lana and Jason were too far away to hear.

Thor-el stepped closer to Clark and said in a soft voice, "The best description of the Doctor I can think of that will make any sense to you is she looks something like a particularly big air breathing octopus holding high tech medical instruments, Oh yea and also wearing an anti gravity belt."

Clark, Jonathan and Martha's jaws dropped right on cue while Ryan just said, "Cool".

..To be Continued as Part 11: Pete is invited to the Dinning Room with a View & Lex Ends Up Light On His Feet!...

PS Reviews are nice and don't forget to flame all you want.


	11. A Call to Arms Part 11

Part 11: Pete is invited to the Dining Room with a View & Lex Ends Up Light On His Feet!……….. !

Clark took one last look at Lex, Chloe and Lana and before his guts fell through the floor turned and disappearing through the archway door and out of their lives forever.

It hadn't sunk in to the three 'out of the loop' that what had just happened is the perminant disappearance of Clark Kent from their lives. Lana looked ready to blow. In fact very much like Linda Blair in the Exorcest just before her head started to spin. Chloe was wondering if it wouldn't be too tacky at this point to take out her tape recorder. And Lex was thinking how the hell could he get back in control of things in his own frigging backyard,

They were all ready for answers but what they got was Thor-el and Pete looking at them like they were pond scum. Well it was now or never so Thor-el and Pete took a few steps closer to start their discussion with Lex, Chloe, Lana and Jason.

In Jason's opinion he thought Clark had said a nice goodbye. But of course the best thing about Clarks goodbye as far as Jason was concerned was it hopefully is a real and permanent goodbye. Jason's dream had come true. Finally the long shadow of Clark Kent in his relationship with Lana would come to an end.

However, Lex, Chloe and Lana were all at the end of their emotional rope and wanted answers.

Lex opened up the conversation with, "If Clark is leaving tonight why can't we see him off. No matter where you need to get to I can have the Luther helicopter take you."

Thor-el got right to the point, "We have no need of your helicopter. We will be leaving soon. I do need to make clear that as far as any of you are concerned Clark has already left Smallville."

"But we are his friends…" Chloe started to say but she was cut off by Thor-el. It seemed that that was happening to the trio of so-called friends a lot today.

"I have already heard enough of how you three define friendship."

Lex decided to skip any attempt at diplomacy and pull out the big guns.

"Thor-el or whatever your name is, there is not way you can stop us from seeing Clark. In fact we need to see Clark to stop him from falling for this stupid story that he is in danger in Smallville and needs to leave. You might try to tell everyone you are this big shot soldier or warrior but I can have twenty ex-special forces commandos here in an hour. I am going to see Clark and pull him back to reality and there is not a thing you can do about it."

Pete stepped in and quickly said, "You don't want to call anyone here Lex. You have no idea of what you are up against. This guy, Clark's uncle is not bluffing. Back off before it does end in tears."

Lex wasn't having any of it. He turned to Chloe and Lana and all three of them brought their heads together, "Ok, guys I say I call in the troops and we go over to the Kents and get to the bottom of this…uggga."

Out of nowhere suddenly Lex was being held by the throat. Thor-el with only his left arm held Lex out straight armed while Lex choked as his feet searched for the ground half a foot in the air."

Chloe and Lana were stunned but after a couple seconds Jason got up to intervene.

Thor-el pointed the index finger on his right hand at Jason and said, "Think very carefully before you make such a decision."

Jason stopped and caught his breath. He backed off and slumped down beside Lana.

Pete then tried a little diplomacy, "He gets it Thor-el. Please let him down."

"I don't think he does get it, Pete. In fact I don't think any of them get it yet."

Thor-el held Lex out to the side. Lex's feet never got near the ground but Thor-el eased his grip while Lex tried to get some fresh air in his lungs.

Thor-el addressed the girls and Lex, "I want you all to listen closely and take this to heart. I have fought a very long time in a very brutal war. Thus I have no moral dilemma doing bad things for good reasons. So understand this: If any of you try to contact Clark or get near him you will be doing him damage. I will not allow this and thus will kill you. You only get this one warning. Take heed of it."

Thor-el then opened his left hand and dropped Lex who fell like a sack of nails gasping for breath.

Thor-el smiled at Pete and said, "I am leaving for the Kent's. Mr. Kent and Ryan should be fixed up soon and ready to come out to dinner."

Peter in a surprised voice asked, "Dinner?"

"Yes, I would like to invite you to come to my 'place' for dinner this evening before Clark and I leave."

"So we are all going to dinner but only Mr and Mrs Kent, Ryan and I are coming back?"

"Yes Pete, I'm sorry but we just don't have any more time for you to spend with Clark before he must leave Smallville. Also if it was possible I would like to stay for a longer to get to know you and the Clark's family but it just isn't possible"

Pete's head was just swimming with everything that had happened in the last hour. Then a funny thought popped into his head.

"Dinner with you! So what's on that kind of menu? Do you have anything I would like?"

Thor-el smiled and replied, "Well, there is a lot of choice. Let's just say that the food is good but the highlight of dinner is the view."

Pete could just imagine what view Thor-el was talking about.

Thor-el addressed Lex, Chloe and Lana and Jason for the last time.

"Don't forget, fair warning. I will do bad things for good reasons. Make the choice to stay alive."

He turned to Pete but Pete just said, "Go ahead, I will be over to the Kent's very soon to go to with dinner with Clark and the rest. I think it would be best if I spoke with them in private where they can ask questions and the rest of it. Don't be concerned I will make sure they understand that Clark is now off limits. After all they are my friends and I don't want any harm to come to them."

Thor-el smiled and without another word disappeared through the archway doors leading into the house.

...To Be Continued as Part 12: Pete Bitch Slaps the Prima Donnas!

PS Reviews are nice and don't forget to flame all you want.


	12. A Call to Arms Part 12

Part12: Pete Bitch Slaps the Prima Donnas!

Peter let out a long breath he didn't realize he was holding and turned to the anxious eyes of those left in the mansion's backyard.

"Well you guys I guess we have to talk but lets make this fast because I have a dinner date. So where do you want to start?"

Chloe dried her eyes, Lex caught his breath, Lana just looked furious while Jason felt relieved and positive he had made the right choice of not trying to help Lex by confronting that big guy with the scary skull on his chest.

Chloe caught her breath. "Pete, we all want to know that is going on but I really don't know what questions to start with. This whole thing, what is happening all seems to be about Clark's secret. It appears that you know it so as a place to start please tell us what is Clark's secret."

Lex and Lana both voiced their affirmative opinions backing up Chloe's desire on where to start with the answers. However, little did they know but it wasn't going to be that easy.

Pete in the his heart was hoping that there was some way that Clark could stay or maybe return before long. To do that he knew he really should keep Clark's secret so Pete's eyes narrowed as he addressed Chloe, "Forget it. I am not going to tell you a dam thing about Clark's secret. Clark didn't tell you, all of you. for very good reasons. He also choose to leave Smallville without telling any of you so I am going to respect his decision."

Chloe voice started to crack as she pleaded, "But I have to know why Clark is leaving."

Pete cut in with, "Clark is leaving because none of you chose to be both his friend and also to accept his request for a private life. Isn't it obvious to you all that Clark didn't tell you for your own good? Knowing that, do you really think I am going to tell any of you anything about Clark's secret?"

Pete had hit his breaking point and decided to climb up on the soap box and tell the trio what Clark should have said to each of them long ago.

"Ok, I am going to start with you Chloe. How many times did Clark ask you to leave his private life alone? All those times he saved your life and yet every time you had a chance to stabbed him in the back you took it. You wouldn't leave his adoption alone. Even after promising to stop when you had the power to make anyone tell the truth you used it to go right after his secret. He even saved you life during your betrayal on the bridge as you were headed out to the Kent farm to force the truth out of his parents and to once again betray his trust."

"And what about trading information on Clark to Lionel Luther in return for career ambition? You sold information on Clark that could have landed him in a cage in a lab in return for 40 pieces of silver. And as an excuse don't try to play the 'Clark lied to me' card with me. You were mad that Clark was with Lana and that's it. That was your whole stinking motive. Well, news flash Chloe, Clark has been in love with Lana for years and was finally getting his shot. Why couldn't you just be happy for your friend that saves your life over and over?"

"And don't give me any bull shit over Clark running away to Metropolis. You had your feelings hurt by someone that wasn't even your boyfriend. That's it. Compare that to Clark having his biological father telling him he must leave or everyone he knows will be in danger"

"What do you mean Clark's biological father?" Chloe cried.

"Oh, shut up and listen. Beside the biological father Clark was guilt ridden over the death of his parent's baby and to top it off was drugged. Yea, that's right drugged."

"Don't try to play the defense that you didn't know he had all this going on because why did you even need to know it? Would knowing it have kept you from betraying your friend to Lionel? I doubt it."

Pete stayed on course and jumped over to Lex. "What kind of friend hires professional investigators to tear apart his best friend's life? And you even put him on your father's radar screen. Because of you Clark ended up on a slab in a lab in Summerholt. How many times does he save your life and instead of just being thankful you end up turning him into your father's obsession."

Lana figured her turn was coming up and went for the preemptive strike. She jumped up with blazing eyes. "I never betrayed Clark to anyone. All I wanted was Clark to be honest with me."

...To Be Continued as Part 12: Pete and 'Paris Black' Bad Attitude Lana Square Off!……………

PS Reviews are nice and don't forget to flame all you want.


	13. A Call to Arms Part 13

Part 13: Pete and 'Paris Black" Bad Attitude Lana Square Off!

Pete never even shifted gears but just stayed on the attack. "That's rich Lana, how many times did Clark tell you knowing his secret was too dangerous? So now you're telling me you know better than your friend Clark about the implications of knowing his own secret. Do you really think Clark the town hero was lying about the danger? Well, Lana, the danger was real and all the heat he took from you over trust was only because he was protecting you. You want some hard evidence? Well, how about he only told Kayla and Alicia part of the secret and both are dead."

"Oh, but how about some proof from a source that is not dead? Well listen to this Ms Know-It-all: Twenty four hours after accidentally learning his secret I ended up kidnapped and tied up to a chair with a mad man holding a syringe of poison on my juggler vein giving me the choice of death or telling Clark's secret. So the freaking danger is real Lana. And don't every try your patented Lana Lang emotional guilt trip game on me that you so endlessly dumped on Clark. I never exposed Clark's secret when facing death so I'm not going to cave into your little hissy fit today."

"Clark wanted to tell you every single day of his life. He knew it was destroying any chance of a relationship with you but he made a choice between your safety and his heart. I really doubt if you would do the same for him."

"When you played the emotional card of leaving for Paris Clark was so broke up about you walking out of his life that he decided to tell you. What stopped it from happening was not him being this chronic liar label you like to hang on him but fear for your safety because just before he was supposed to tell you he saw me. I told him I was leaving Smallville for Wichita because of the danger over knowing his secret. Earlier that day I had been beaten and was hand cuffed and set to drown in the river if I didn't tell the FBI agent about Clark. Yea, that's right the FBI. I never talked then but the pressure and danger became too much so I decided to leave."

"Clark heard my story about the FBI encounter coming out of my beaten face just before he saw you and he decided that losing you to Paris and some white toast guy like Jason as much as it hurt him was better than putting you in the same kind of danger. So he just told you to good time in Paris instead of his secret. Clark has made all his decisions regarding you based on concern for you and not his personal happiness."

Lana was starting to lose her train of thought. She always thought that Clark was being overly dramatic about the danger in knowing his secret. But from what Pete was telling her Clark was a lot of things but paranoid was not one of them.

Still the nagging itch of the secret was too much so she decided to try a different tactic to see if she could force the secret out of Pete.

"It wasn't danger that kept Clark from telling me but just that he didn't trust me."

Trust: That was the red flag for Pete.

"Lana, what the hell are you talking about? You are the one with trust issues. You always play the hurt-little-girl performance but I'm not 'trusting' Clark so don't expect me to fall for it. Well, lets take a little walk starting back to freshman year and look at your trust scoreboard. Clark said Kyle Tippet was ok but you were ready to cut Clark out of your life on hearsay over it. Clark warned you about Ian Randall playing you and Chloe and both of you trusted the murdering meteor freak and took his word over Clark. Lana you even implied that Clark was making false accusations about Ian Randall because he was jealous. Clark warned you to be careful with Byron and you ignored him instead of trusting his judgment. You asked him to stay away because of something Lex does to you. And then you run into Adam's arms who later tries to kill you. Oh, and who saved you from a bullet in the back courtesy of Adam? Then magnet boy Seth Nelson comes along and you again take his word over Clark. It's endless Lana; you never ever give Clark the benefit of the doubt but trust anyone that comes along over Clark. So tell us all again who has the trust issues in the Lana and Clark's relationship show?"

Pete was in fine form and with Lana on the ropes really started to lay into her.

"It's the jealously accusations that really stink the high heaven. You accuse Clark at every opportunity of being jealous but for a jealous guy he really seems to have trouble getting rid of your boyfriends since he keeps saving their lives. Clark saved Whitney three times. Once at the homecoming dance but then maybe that shouldn't count since he saved all of us that night. Oh, I guess the confused expression on your face means an explanation is in order. Ex-scarecrow Jeremy Creek was going setting up to do a Carrie on the dance by hosing everyone down before electrocution time. Clark the current scarecrow got free and instead of going home bitter and mad choose save the lives of your boyfriend and the jocks that hung him in the cornfield along with everyone else at the dance. Then to top it off the next day Clark pulls Whitney out of a burning truck. And it's not finished yet when a couple months later again Clark saves Whitney after the tattoo gang tried to murder Whitney by dropping a wreaked car on him."

Peter then pointed at Jason, "And what about this one? Clark saves him twice, once from a shotgun blast and then from being strangled. Gee, Lana did it ever occur to you that repeatably saving the lives of your boyfriends by putting himself in harms way is hardly the actions of a jealous liar?"

"Now besides protecting you Lana there is one very selfish reason that Clark never told you. And that is simply you couldn't deal with it. You would have rejected him; like turned around and run away."

Lana pointed at Pete and screamed at him, "No! The problem was Clark and his secret not me. I would never do that." Lana straightened up and in a huffy tone said, "There is nothing Clark could tell me that would make me behave like that. He might have thought that but he was wrong."

Peter's eyes narrowed as Lana walked right into the Pete Ross Lana trap. "Well that is just it Lana. Clark wasn't wrong. He knew exactly how you would react."

"No way Pete, how could he?"

"Easy, he simply asked you."

...to be continued as Part 14: Pete Laying a Beating on Bad Attitude Lana!………

PS Reviews are nice and don't forget to flame all you want.


	14. A Call to Arms Part 14

Part 14: Pete Laying a Beating on Bad Attitude Lana!

"What?"

Then Pete hit Lana in the side of the head with the truth brick. "You see Lana, Clark once a long time ago asked you a hypothetical question about a situation like his secret and you to his face told him your answer and it was a great big negative. You know Lana, it really broke him. He then realized any future with you even as nothing more than a friend let alone a romantic relationship was doomed if you ever found out his secret."

Lana's chin dropped and her shoulders rounded and her body visibly crumbled as the fight went out of her. So Clark had run a little hopeful test on her about his secret and she had failed.

Pete then went in for the kill, "And Clark was always there for you Lana. At Whitney's funeral who was by your side the whole time just being there for you? Why couldn't you return the favor even a little?"

Lana looked up and said through her tears, "What are you taking about Pete; I was always there for Clark."

Pete then stuck the knife in and did a little twist. "Clark was there for you but when Alicia was killed did you give Clark any support at all?"

"Alicia tried to kill me!"

"And who saved you Lana? That's right, Clark 'you're a jealous liar' Kent!"

"Did you know that Clark was the only one at the funeral? Alicia's parents didn't even show up. In fact there wasn't any funeral and Clark had to pick up her body at the morgue and take it over the cemetery himself. He even had to dig the grave and put her in it himself since the cemetery guy was a relative of Tim Westcott the murderer who framed Alicia for the attacks. He refused to do his job and bury Alicia since she was a meteor freak. Yup, one of those you hate so much. Now who do you think stepped in to do the right thing?"

"Yea Clark again. Clark Kent buried by himself in a graveyard that was practically your backyard a rare girl named Alicia that he said made him feel special and normal at the same time. You never made Clark feel special or normal but just guilty and lonely."

"Clark buried Alicia with no support or help from anyone. I doubt if you are even capable of understanding how hard that was for him to do it all alone. Of course, being Clark he never asked for any help or understanding did he? I didn't even find out until I came back to see him three weeks after the funeral. Actually I shouldn't say funeral since it was just Clark digging a grave to bury a girl that even though she knew about some of his secret still found it in herself to love him."

Lana felt like she had been kicked in the stomach and was holding both hands over her mouth as tears ran silently down each side of her face.

Pete then scanned them all making eye contact with each of them.

"You are all responsible for what happened today at this barbecue. If you would have been better friends to Clark he may have been able to stay. Maybe there would be a way to keep him from the danger. Instead I am losing my best friend to war."

Pete pointed at Jason. "You have to be the luckiest bugger here. The hero saves your life twice and goes off to war while you stay behind and get the girl. Well, you are welcome to her and along with her these other two so called friends."

Pete stepped back and took a look up at the now darkening sky. He then gave a sigh and realized he was starting to lose interest in the whole conversation.

Pete gave a little wave of a hand at the group. "I don't know why am I here talking to you self absorbed drama queens when I should be with Clark. After all it's his last evening in Smallville."

Pete turned around and walked away. He stopped at the archway entrance to the back of the mansion and turned around for the last time.

"I may have got a little harsh but someone had to say it to the whole bunch of you. Just remember that I will never tell any of you Clark's secret. And if you only learned one thing today it had better be that approaching Clark tonight before he leaves will only end with the wrath of Thor-el. It is your life so don't do anything stupid. Oh, and Lex thanks for the invite to the barbecue."

Pete turned and walked into the mansion. Just a minute later they heard his car start and him leave for the Kents.

..To Be Continued as Part 15: For the "Out of the Loop" Gang, what's the plan?……….

PS Reviews are nice and don't forget to flame all you want.


	15. A Call to Arms Part 15

Part 15: For the "Out of the Loop" Gang, what's the plan?

After the sound of Pete's car leaving the mansion drive way faded away a silence descended over the group as each of them replayed Pete's speech in their mind. Rolling what he said in their mind the second time around didn't make it any better or easier to take.

Jason finally broke the silence, "Well, that was surreal. Does anyone know more now that they did before that skull guy showed up? I don't think I do. The only thing I sure of is everyone is better off having Clark Kent out of their life. That guy and all he attracts are just too weird."

"Shut up Jason," Lana snapped and then dried her tears and pulled herself back into lady-in-black form as she turned to Lex, "Are you ok, Lex? Clark's long lost Uncle Thor-el looked like he hurt you."

Lex's comeback was slow and deliberate as he rubbed his neck, "I'm ok but I just can't get over how strong that guy was. He held me off the ground with a straight arm like I was a kitten. And when I grabbed his forearm to try to break his hold I couldn't make any impression at all. It was like grabbing steel." Lex rocked his head side to side and continued to try to make sense of the afternoon in silence.

Chloe appeared to finally be cried out. She looked around at those left and said, "Did this all really happen? It just seems like a dream. I feel like it is just one of Clark's moments of mystery. Could he actually be leaving Smallville forever or is he going to jump out from behind the bushes and yell April fool?"

Lex didn't really know what to say to Chloe since he didn't a clue what happened himself. "You know Chloe; right now I would think this was all a dream if that guy Thor-el hadn't held me up like I was a child's rag doll. The way my neck feels means this is no dream"

Lana started to pace in front of the archway over the back door of the mansion. "I might have made some mistakes with Clark Kent but also I have been played like a puppet by him too many times. I am not going to drop this. I have too much time and emotion invested in Clark Kent's secret. I say we go over to the Kent Farm and do what ever it takes to finally emotionally pound the truth out of Clark. I am sure I can 'guilt' it out of him. I just need to get him cornered."

Lana looked up and saw nothing but fear in more than one pair of eyes. "Come on. Even if this

Thor-el is totally nuts the Kents won't let him hurt us. I am willing to risk it all this time and tell Clark any friendship with any of us is dead unless he once and for all tells us all what is going on. Enough is enough, it's time he coughed up an explanation to his friends and finally told us this dam secret."

"If he is really going what does our friendship matter to him?" Chloe said with a defeated look.

"Lana, what about that guy Thor-el and what Pete told us," said Jason with a wary look in his eye. "Clark is gone and I say for all of you sweet goodbye. I thought he was just a boring Kansas farm boy who can chuck a football like nobodies business but it's obvious that he is as weird as can be. Who needs that for a friend? You are all better off without him."

Jason tried to fame his opinion as his concern about the group but the real reason was that guy Thor-el. When he warned them about approaching Clark the guy's eyes turned to cold blue ice. There was no reason that he could think of to purposely put you in the way of a guy with eyes like that.

Chloe lifted her head out of her lap and once more wiped her eyes. ""Meteor freak, Clark has got to be a meteor freak. There is no other explanation?"

Lana caught Chloe's eyes, "Only Clark is too weird for the wall of weird. I don't know Chloe, maybe there is some kind of secret cult of meteor freaks run by this guy Thor-el. They help hide each other and stuff like that."

Then Lana sighed and dismissed her theory, "But if it's a cult of meteor freaks then why hasn't anyone seen this guy Thor-el. After all Smallville is the only place with meteor rocks and someone like Thor-el would stand out for sure."

Lana crossed her arms and standing with her weight on one foot started to tap the other one impatiently on the ground. "Meteor freak my foot. I directly confronted him about the being a meteor freak after the shooting incident with Ian McNulty. Usually when Clark Kent lies to me it's like he buried the needle in my personal lie detector. Clark said to my face he wasn't a meteor freak and it's one of the few times I am sure he told me the truth. Even with all the practice Clark just isn't that good a liar."

Lana started to pace again thinking out loud, "It's got to be something else but I just can't think of a single thing. How does he do the things he does without meteor infection powers……I'm not even sure what he can do? If it's meteor infection why doesn't he go crazy like all the other meteor freaks and attack people?"

Lana paused and let the wheels turn in her head for a couple seconds. "And what war was that Thor-el talking about to Clark? I remember once Mrs. Kent saying that Clark took a long time to learn English. When she said it she quickly caught herself like it was a slip and said she meant it just took him a long time to speak in public because he was shy."

Lana looked up for some help but only saw confused faces waiting for her to continue. "That just can't be right. I remember Aunt Nell saying what a beautiful child Clark was and how for the first couple years he was adopted every time the Kents came into her shop with Clark she would try to get him to play with her and talk but all she got were smiles and silence. Maybe Clark was one of those Eastern European toddlers that were adopted out of the state run orphanages after the fall of the Berlin Wall? Or he could have been out of the Balkans….No he is too old for that. So what freaking war is Pete talking about?"

"I'm stumped," said Lex and walked over to the cooler to get some of the last of the ice to put on his neck.

"I'm stumped too," said Lana and then her face took on a determined look. "But this is one time that Clark Kent is not going to walk away leaving nothing behind but a big fat lie disguised as a lame excuse. I've decided. I am going over to the Kent farm and I am going to give Clark the emotional battering of his life until he cracks and tells me what is going on."

Lex took the ice he had wrapped up in a terry cloth and tossed in onto the ground and looked at Chloe. "So what do you think of Lana's plan? I am as sick of this as the rest of you and am willing to go with Lana and take my chances with Thor-el. The Kent's will protect us; are you in?"

Chloe felt like her heart had gone ten rounds in a heavy weight fight but in the end as it always did her curiosity won. "I am sick of this and who knows? Maybe this will the a great story, could even be Daily Planet league or at worse a human interest or stupidity story for the Ledger to publish about the Teflon covered Kent family."

Jason started to offer some token resistance but after a dirty look from Lana he quickly caved and shrugged his shoulders in agreement.

So it was settled and plan 'let's-go-find-Clark-and-emotionally-strong-arm-him' went into operation with everyone climbing into one of Lex's range rovers to drive over to the Kent Farm.

…To Be Continued as Part 16: The Space Ship Has Left the Dock!

PS Reviews are nice and don't forget to flame all you want.


	16. A Call to Arms Part 16

Part 16: The Space Ship Has Left the Dock!

Lex's range rover came to a stop at the Kent's yellow farm house and everyone got out and walked into the Norman Rockwell painting that the Kent's live in. The lights were on in the kitchen so they climbed up the steps to the porch and Lex knocked on the red door. There was no sound of any movement in the house and the door remained closed to the group.

Chloe moved over and bend forward into the window into the kitchen looking for a sign of anyone home. "I don't see anyone even though all the lights are on."

Lex looked around the yard and confirmed the Kent's truck was parked over near the barn while Pete's car was still parked in front of his range rover. "They have to be here Chloe; all the cars are still here. None of the staff at the mansion saw Thor-el's vehicle so he had to have been traveling with the Kents or Pete."

Lana just said with a smirk, "Once again the Kent farm puts a mystery in the way of the truth. I am begining to feel like I'm in a Scooby Do cartoon."

Jason decided that there is nothing of value that he could add to this conversation so just decided to be silently thankful that Thor-el didn't appear to tear them limb to limb.

Chloe was tempted to pry open and window and get into the house but instead she looked over to the barn and saw the lights were still on up there. "Let's all go over and wait in the loft. They can't be gone that far without the cars and should be back before long."

Lana looked up following Chloe's line of sight to the loft window. She gave a small sigh and said to no one in particular. "That loft used to be my place of refuge from the disappointments of the world. For a long time Clark's loft replaced the graveyard where my parents are buried as my emotional oasis in Smallville." Lex just nodded his approval and started to lead everyone toward the barn to climb the stairs to Clark's loft. Lana continued as they walked across the lawn, "After been such a source of comfort it's hard to believe that now the Clark's loft just reminds me of secrets, lies, angst and frustration and has gone from my personal emotional oasis to nothing more than a waiting room."

Everyone settled down in the loft to wait for the reappearance of Clark, the Kents and Pete. Lex and Jason took the chairs at the desk and after some initial talk about Thor-el and how scary he was drifted into an uneasy silence. Lana and Chloe shared the couch and ran over and over the events of that afternoon trying to make some sense of it all. The central factor as far as they could see was the identity and purpose of Thor-el. His accent was not mid-west American but also from no where else they could place. It wasn't even very strong but only noticeable if you were listening.

Time drifted by and then just as Jason was going to stand up and announce it was time to call it a night they heard someone coming up the stairs.

"What are you guys doing up here," Ryan said to the four pair of eyes staring him down. "Dad sent me out to turn out the lights. I really should have known that you guys wouldn't take any of the warning seriously."

Lex broke in with, "Where is that Thor-el guy, Ryan."

"Don't worry, you got here too late. Dinner is over and we just got back." Ryan announced while hanging his head.

All of them could see that Ryan's eyes were red and knew that he had been crying. All of them except Jason started to fear the worse.

Lana with her heart in her throat walked over to Ryan and put her right hand on his shoulder and with the left under his chin lifted Ryan's head up so she could look him in the eye. "Who do you mean by 'we' Ryan?"

Come on Lana. You were there. You know what was going to happen tonight. Mom, Dad, Pete and I came home while Clark left with his Uncle Thor-el."

Lana felt her heart start to sink like a stone. She knew that Ryan had a crush on her and it was a pretty big one. Well, not as big as Clark's in their heyday but enough that he would have a hard time lying to her while looking her in the eye.

"Ryan, where did Clark and this Thor-el go to? You have to tell me."

Ryan looked right into her face and without batting an eye said, "Third star on the left and then straight on till morning." Ryan briefly glanced around the loft and then continued. "Of course those are not the best directions since who knows what Thor-el even thinks is a morning."

Lana's face dropped and her eye's narrowed, "this isn't a Never Never Land Joke Ryan we really need to know where Clark is…"

"Ya, well Lana, after what I saw at dinner this is just about everything but a joke."

"Just what did you see at dinner, Ryan?" Lex smoothly injected himself into the interrogation.

Ryan turned to Lex, looked back at Lana and then directly addressed Lex. "What I saw Lex, is my big brother, a true hero who has saved a lot of people including everyone in this loft more that once leaving to go to war because Smallville will never accept him and in fact is a more certain danger here than in a war. I've lost Clark tonight along with everyone else and I just don't feel very good about it. Now is the time Lex that you and the rest up here should just go home."

"We can't Ryan"

"Ok, fine have it your way. But then come in, my Dad wants to talk to you anyway. He was going to wait until tomorrow but maybe he will do it tonight."

Ryan then turned and walked down the stairs out of the loft and toward the house.

"Why would My Kent want to see me? Talk about weird." Thought Lex as he followed Ryan back to the Kent's house, the others were on their feet and after them in a flash.

…To be Continued as Part 17: Everyone's Back From Dinner but the Alien Farmboy……….

PS Reviews are nice and don't forget to flame all you want.


	17. A Call to Arms Part 17

Part 17: Everyone's Back from Dinner but the Alien Farmboy!

Ryan came through the door into the Kent's kitchen and immediately sang out announcing to everyone in the house that those that had been left behind at the barbecue had been waiting in the loft.

The sight that met them was not the usual warm and inviting atmosphere of the Kent home. Martha was crying on the living room couch with Pete beside her talking softly trying to comfort her. He gave them a look that could kill and then turned back to Martha Kent. Jonathan was filling a glass of water at the fridge and handed it to Ryan and told him to take it in to his mother.

Jonathan didn't look surprised when he saw Lex and the others but just completely defeated. The edge was gone off Jonathan Kent as he gestured them to sit down at the kitchen table. "Does anyone want anything?" Lex and the others answered with a chorus of "No thanks, Mr Kent" and sat down. Jonathan joined them a moment later.

"This was a very dangerous thing to do Lex bringing everyone over here after the warning you got from Thor-el and Pete."

Lana broke in and answered Jonathan, "it wasn't just Lex's idea Mr Kent. We are all terribly confused and made the decision to come over together. We were sure that you and Clark would stop this Thor-el character from doing anything dangerous to us."

"It was still dangerous Lana. To be honest neither Clark nor I could do anything to stop Thor-el. You know of course we would try but he is just too powerful. Its ok however since both he and Clark are gone. He won't be back so it's safe."

Lana leaned forward and in an anxious voice said, "That's just it Mr Kent, gone where?"

"I can't tell you Lana and to be honest I am not really sure myself. I really don't know the specifics. All I can say for Clark is please remember what he said when saying good bye to you all at the mansion. All he wants is for you, all of you to be safe and happy."

"But why did he have to leave? How could Lana do anything to hurt him?" Chloe cried out in frustration.

Chloe I can't tell you since I really am having a hard time believing it myself. Even what I with my own eyes at dinner doesn't seem real to a farmer from Smallville. All I can say is again remember what Clark said when he said his goodbyes to you."

There was a pause while everyone took this in and ran Clark's goodbye speech through their minds while trying to dissect it for some insight.

Lex recovered first and went for the topic change, "Mr Kent, Ryan said that you wanted to speak to me? Lex glanced over to Martha and Pete, "if you want to we can talk about it now or schedule a more appropriate time."

"No that is fine Lex its better to do this as soon as possible before I change my mind."

Jonathon reached into the pocket of his big red plaid shirt and pulled out of small drawstring pouch. What material the pouch was made of was not immediately evident but it did appear to shimmer in the light over the kitchen table.

"I would like to ask you for a favor, Lex?"

Lex was so surprised that he didn't even think to set up the favor-for-information deal but just said, "Anything Mr Kent."

"First I want to thank you for your help when you bought the deed to the farm and then being so generous to put it in our name."

"Mr Kent, you don't owe me anything. Your compass saved my life. Funny after all those times Clark saved my life when he wasn't there it was his father's present that came through with the save."

"I know Lex but I did say I would pay you back and I am going to do that now." Jonathan gave a funny snort and whipped away a tear at the same time. "I will say I never expect to be paying you back in this way."

Jonathan said, "Open your hand Lex" and then poured over a dozen colored stones each the size of a woman's thumb out of the pouch into Lex's hand. "I have been told Lex that those are uncut emeralds. If you would be so kind to ask your business contacts in Europe to sell them on the Antwerp gem exchange I would really appreciate it. And this is not up for discussion; I want you to take out the cost of the farm with interest and whatever the standard commission is to handle a sale of this kind."

Lex didn't have a clue what Jonathan Kent was going to ask as a favor but if forced to guess even after a million tries he would have never come up with it is to sell millions in gems in Europe.

Lex started to protest but Jonathan Kent just waved his arm, "No, Lex you deserve to be repaid for your help to my family in our time of need."

Lex reached for the bag but Jonathan picked it up and put it back into his pocket. "Sorry Lex the bag is not mine to give away so I think I better keep a hold of it. Lex was too surprised to find this suspicious and just said, "Ok, Mr Kent consider it done. I will contact you when the sale if complete. But if I may ask because they are going to ask me for sure where did these uncut gems come from?"

"I will be completely honest with you, Lex. I know that hasn't happened as much as you would like today. Well, it's not that anyone has lied to you it just no one has told you the complete truth."

"You can say that again," Lana injected.

"Lex, the gems were given to me by Thor-el after his doctor fixed my heart. The gems were to pay me and Martha for taking care our son Clark, his nephew." Jonathan's voice started to break, "Can you imagine being paid to take care of your own son."

Lex just nodded while Lana reached out and took Jonathan's hand and gave it a little squeeze.

"Don't get me wrong, he was real nice about it but when he did it; it really hit me that Clark was going away for good."

That got a reaction all around the kitchen table. Chloe put both her hands over her mouth; Lana again grabbed Jonathan's hand while Lex tightened his fist together making the knuckles whiten.

"Thor-el actually said he knows it won't make up for losing Clark but he just wanted to do something so no one had to worry about our financial security."

Jonathan freed his hand from Lana's death grip and gave her a little smile.

..To Be Continued as Part 18: Jonathan Tells It Like It Is!………

PS Reviews are nice and don't forget to flame all you want.


	18. A Call to Arms Part 18

Part 18: Jonathan Tells It Like It Is!

"I know you came here for answers but I just don't have any to give you. What I do know would just confuse you and what I don't know would just drive you crazy. It's really better that you just walk away from these events with what you already know. You all need to just remember the good times of your friendship with Clark and get on with your lives."

"But Mr Kent…"

"No buts Chloe and that goes for everyone else. It's over and he is gone. Just go live life."

"But where?"

"What can I say to you Lana? The only answer I have is Clark has gone to the place where legends are born."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"What ever you want it to Lana. Now it's time you all went home and picked up your lives. Just let me know Lex when you complete the deal. No rush. And to everyone don't bother looking for answers because you are not going to find them. Just remember the good times and leave it at that. That is what Martha and I are going to do and on this sorry day it's the best advice I've got."

Jonathan got up and waved everyone to their feet. They could still see Martha on the couch with Pete. Pete looked up and Chloe, Lex and Lana give him a combination of small waves and nods goodbye.

Lana's mind was rolling around in turmoil on it's self. She had come over here willing to risk it all too emotionally batter Clark's secret out of him and once again she was leaving empty handed. So in one last play of the dice she turned to Mr Kent.

"Ok, Mr Kent I will walk away from this but only if you will answer one question." Lana never missed a beat but continued before Jonathan could cut her off. "Ok, I have got it that Clark is gone and it's a permanent move….but is he ever coming back to even visit?"

Jonathan had no fight left in him and just signed and said, "It's ironic Lana but Clark asked Thor-el that exact same question at dinner. So the best I can do is tell you exactly what Thor-el said to him."

Lana and her group leaned against the counter and fridge while Mr Kent still standing turned a chair around and with both hands on the back of it pushing down leaned forward.

"When Clark asked him if he could came back to Smallville to visit Thor-el said in between battles if they were close enough to jump in he could visit but only for a short time like a day or two at the most. This was due to time constraints issues that he would explain in more detail to him after they left."

Jonathan shifted uneasily on his feet and briefly looked like he might break down. "Clark then asked if he would ever be able to come back permanently to Smallville. I think he meant to ask it with the assumption that the war ends and…and he survives."

Thor-el got a strange look on his face and said to Clark that he can come back to Smallville after 'they storm all the dark castles and slay all the black dragons'. Johnathan paused and then continued, "Then Thor-el said the problem is the universe is so full of both."

Jonathan let go of the chair and stood up straight. "Lana, Thor-el was very emotional when he told Clark. To be honest I don't think that Clark will ever come back to Smallville other than for a short visit to the farm. You see he was warned that it would not be safe for him to see you; actually any of you but especially you Lana. I am so sorry but Clark is really permanently gone from your life."

Well, that revelation finally did it and pushed Lana over the edge. After tearing up for a couple seconds Lana broke down and started to cry. Jason didn't know what to do and before he could reach out for her Lana fell into Chloe's arms and buried her face into Chloe's shoulder and started to sob in earnest. Of course, faced with this Chloe also started to cry while padding the back of Lana's head trying to comfort her.

Jonathan walked over to the door opened it and walked onto the porch and then turned and held the door open for everyone to come out on to the porch.

Chloe held Lana and walked her over to Lex's range rover while Lana continued to sob now completely out of control into Chloe's shoulder. Jason followed close behind and tried to comfort Lana by rubbing her on the back while thinking this news is not a bad development at all.

Lex stopped by Jonathan and said, "So Mr Kent, no secrets, lies or tricks. Clark really is gone for good?" Jonathan just gave a positive shake of his head.

"Mr Kent I have to resources to find him and I'll search to the ends of the earth."

"In this case Lex that just isn't going to do it. Really Lex, not this time. Just walk away and don't waste time or money trying to solve something that really doesn't have any answer. Take care of yourself. Lana and Chloe. You are always welcome here."

Lex smiled and shook Jonathan's hand, "Thanks Mr Kent, I hope you weren't just saying that because I will be dropping in from time to time. I will fly the gems to Europe tomorrow and let you know when the deal closes. I am really tried of asking what is going on so instead just tell me in the future what you can and I'll just have to live with that."

Jonathan gave Lex and little slap on the back and went back into the house.

Lex stepped out off the porch and started to walk over to the Range Rover. Half way there he got a little hit of Dejavu so stopped and turned toward the loft window. He could see the end of Clark's telescope poking out and instead of being pointed toward Lana's house it was pointed up to the stars. Lex didn't know what it meant and before anything came to mind the moment passed. Lex Luther got into the Range Rover and started it up and drove out the Kent's laneway to take his companions home.

It was the end of the last day that Clark Kent was part of their lives.

…To be continued as Part 19: Adulthood Comes to the Smallville High Gang!…………..

PS Reviews are nice and don't forget to flame all you want.


	19. A Call to Arms Part 19

Part 19: Adulthood Comes to the Smallville High Gang!

So that is how Clark Kent resident teenage hero of Smallville rode off into the sunset to war. None of them ever forgot the day that Clark disappeared from their lives forever.

Lex couldn't leave it alone and for over a year spent thousands of dollars trying to find Clark and Thor-el. He started in Brussels the unofficial world capital of the broking of mercenary contracts. Lex was pretty sure that since the language that Thor-el first spoke was tonal in nature that it originated in the orient. His contracts in Brussels checked all the mercenary brokers but no one could confirm anyone of Clark and Thor-el's description taking a contract to fight in an Asian war zone or anywhere else for that matter.

Lex sold the emeralds in Europe for several million and wired the net proceeds to an account he opened in the Cayman Islands for the Kents. Lex was smart enough not to wire millions to the Kent account at the Smallville Savings & Loan. After all the place was called Smallville and gossip was the town's national sport. Lex had to admit that even if profit wasn't his motive for buying the deed to the Kent farm the action almost paid off as well for him financially as it did emotionally.

The Luthor Empire was evenly divided between Lex and Lucas. Although he tired as best as he could his younger brother took his part of the company in a dark direction. Lucas slipped away from Lex but it was really expected. Lucas visited Lionel several times a month while Lex visited the Kents. Lex moved his headquarters back to Metropolis and sold most of his stake in the Talon to Martha. She was happy to buy him completely out but Lex said he wanted to keep a 25 interest in the Talon just in the memory of good times. Martha just laughed and said sure. She would have laughed a lot more if she knew that Lex had his 25 interest set up to be a gift to Ryan on his graduation day from Smallville High.

Lex kept all his other interests in Smallville like the fertilizer factory and started to add more. He even moved out come of his high tech research facilities to Smallville. The real estate was cheaper than Metropolis and many of his best scientists and engineers were happy to move to a small town to raise their families. Lex regularly opened the Lexcorp labs and factory for school trips, science projects and tried to give the best and brightest of Smallville High summer jobs in a real research lab. Smallville High had always had high standards but with Lex as a patron and the synergy of high tech labs in the community it was gaining a reputation as one of the best science and journalism schools in not just the state but the country.

The fear that the Cark had that Lex would someday make himself in his fathers image never came to pass. In fact Lex became the epitome of the very successful but generous to a good cause billionaire philanderer. Jonathan and Martha never realized it but their influence after Clark left brought Lex back from the dark side even as Lucas slipped further and further away from Lex's example.

With the capital injection from the gem sale Kent Organic Produce took off into a region wide enterprise. Jonathan took it upon himself to correct everything that Lionel Luther had brought on Smallville during his ownership of the fertilizer factory. It was ironic but with Lex doing his own good deeds for Smallville there wasn't that much for Jonathan to really do.

Jonathon did buy up several farms around the original Kent farm as the owners decided to retire and they didn't have any children interested in farming. He also bought Nell Porter's old place when in a surprise sale it came onto the market. Jonathan turned Nell's old farm into lay- up stables for horses. Jonathan's horse lay-up business on the old Porter place was the pick of the local veterinarians when they referred their clients on where to take their injured horses for rehabilitation.

Jonathan also bought a majority stake in the Fordman store and Martha ran the downtown location as an up market high quality boutique. Outside of Smallville the Kent's opened a new huge Fordman's superstore and another one in Granville. After that the Metropolis operators struck both Smallville and Grandville off their list for Wal-Marts and such like.

Chloe tried with everything she had to break Pete down. After Clark left at least twice a month Chloe drove to Wichita to try to strong arm Pete into telling her Clark's secret. Pete never even dropped a single hint. His loyalty to Clark over road everything and that even included his romantic feelings for Chloe.

Pete never told her anything new and never let her forget her betrayals of Clark during the same time he was saving her life on a regular basis. Finally after having to listen to her endless failings to Clark as a friend Chloe gave up but managed to drop the topic and leave Pete as still his friend and life long crush.

After high school Chloe went off to major in English and Journalism at Metropolis University. Pete decided to go to Kansas State to study political science with the intention of going to Law School.

And what of Smallville's own fairy princess Lana Lang? She took the disappearance of Clark pretty hard. In fact, very hard. Lana Lang was always pretty as a teenager and was in a pretty strong trend to world class beautiful as she matured. However when Clark Kent disappeared Lana Lang in her grief took on one of the defining characteristics of Clark Kent: guilt.

No one felt worse or more responsible for Clark leaving Smallville than Lana Lang. The net effect on Lana Lang of all this guilt is she left 'pretty' behind and overnight turned into a tragic beauty of mysterious heartbreak that no man and few women could resist.

Lana stayed with Jason but never gave him the same look that Clark got out of her when ever he flashed Lana his patented Kent smile.

After Smallville High graduation she was accepted into Metropolis University with Chloe and decided to study a double major; design and pre-law. After hearing about the weird choice in a double major Pete joked with Lana that they would have to promise each other to be roommates if they ever ended up going to the same Law School. Lana as always gave him as answer her tragic smile of past heartbreak that could melt Greenland.

Lana in the summer came back to Smallville and lived over the Talon in the apartment that Martha kept open for her. She even worked a couple nights a week in the Talon during her summer internship at Harry Small's Law Office.

The only time Lana Lang took on her old personality and lost the tragic aura was when she went out to the house she grew up in with Nell to ride Donatello. Jonathan and Martha were happy to keep Donatello and Tyson at the stables the Kent's opened on the old Porter farm.

Lana was in her second year at Metropolis University when Dean and Nell decided to move back to Smallville. Dean took a generous early retirement package and got a new job as an insurance consultant at the Smallville Savings and Loan. Nell always wanting to keep busy reopened her flower shop on the main street of Smallville beside the Talon having bargained a very generous deal from the Kent's for the space.

The main reason that Dean and Nell decided to move back to Smallville were their twin girls from Dean's first marriage. Lisa and Leslie were thirteen and just getting to that rebellious age and so it seemed like a good idea to get away from the big city problems of Metropolis and instead go smalltown native in Smallville.

Nell and Dean's move back to Smallville was a dream come true for Lana. The couple with the twins moved into Nell's old house which the Kent's rented to them for a song. The move really gave Lana some stability as the Smallville part of her life started to look and feel a lot like her early high school years. When Lana came to Smallville to ride on the weekends she now stayed in her old room while the twins took over one of the bigger guest rooms.

The twins loved their beautiful new Aunt who taught them to ride and was always there to listen to the trials and tribulations of being freshmen girls at Smallville High. Lana could never pick up the twins after school without a dozen shy boys cruising over to her car to gaze longley at Smallville's own Helen of Troy.

Then after picking up the twins with them bubbling around her and hooked into the power source of being a teenager Lana would for a couple hours lose her tragic aura and once again take on the persona of the freshman cheer leader hanging out with her quarterback boyfriend while making moony eyes at a certain farm boy.

While Pete, Chloe and Lana in two years on earth grew into their ordinary Middle American lives while millions of light years away Clark fought his way through a twenty year long gantlet of bloody brutal war.

….To be Continued Part 20: For Kryptonian Warriors it's a Good Day to Die but a Better Day to Kill but the Best is a Trip to Smallville for RnR!……….

PS Reviews are nice and don't forget to flame all you want.

PS Ya, I know about the 2 yrs vs 20 yrs but it's right and will be explained a little later.


	20. A Call to Arms Part 20

Part 20: It's a Good Day to Die but a Better Day to Kill but the Best is a trip to Smallville for RnR!

Clark hadn't been home to Smallville in twenty years. Well, to be accurate twenty of galaxy years. The war as still hanging in the balance for whoever wanted victory the most. The war had been continuous battle after battle in campaign after campaign. As Clark and the Weave took a star system from the Clove they would lose one of their own.

As individuals the Kryptonians and their Kzin Allies could have won the war in an afternoon. The problem was simple numbers. They might have been slaves but there were millions more Clove soldiers than the Weave soldiers so the war was still hanging in the balance.

Clark never became comfortable killing even in combat but was still a fierce fighter. He was always envious of casual attitude to war that the Kzin warriors exhibited that made up the elite fighting force of the Weave. Untrained teenage Kzin kids made the Viking berserkers on their best day look like French school girls. The male Kzin averaged in height about seven feet. The most accurate description of Kzin was they were tigers with bat ears that walked around upright and had opposable thumbs.

Of course, the thumbs and all the fingers came with two inch retractable claws. Kzin were notoriously hot tempered, considered honor more important that life, were reckless to a fault and practically had to be cut in half to even slow down in battle.

In a nut shell the Kzin were the best Allies you could ask for in a battle for the Galaxy. Everyone in the Weave just wished there were more of them. The Kzin respected and even loved their few but powerful Kryptonian Allies. They really had trouble taking orders from anyone, including other Kzin, but would have stormed the gates of hell in a heart beat if Clark gave the order. Clark knew for a fact that the demons of hell wouldn't have stood a chance.

Clark kept his hair the same while Thor-el since he commanded a wing of Kzin attack ships wore his hair in the same orange blond punk Mohawk mullet since the Kzin females found it attractive. Clark never could see the logic in looking sexy to a six foot female walking tiger but for Thor-el his hair style worked because it kept everyone laughing, was a great inspiration for jokes and kept moral up. Then again the only thing that could keep moral down for the Kzin was lack of combat.

Clark had to smile as he watched on the other side of the starship's bridge the great Kzin warrior Chuut Ritt bragging to Thor-el about how his cubs almost killed him during his last visit to his den. Chuut Ritt was still limping around from the wound his cubs gave him. He was more proud of that wound than the dozens he had from the actual war. When power is passed down in Kzin families it is by the strongest son killing his very own father. Only a Kzin father would spend the whole bridge watch telling anyone that would listen how proud he was of almost being killed by his own cubs.

Clark once asked Chuut Ritt if it wouldn't be better for the war effort if the Kzin cubs stopped killing their fathers. Chuut Ritt growled and gave Clark a look like he had been asked to eat salads for the rest of his life. After that Clark just accepted Kzin social customs and settled for being happy the Kzin were on his side.

Clark was in a pretty good mental shape all things considered. Lana Lang had broken his heart but not his spirit. The magnitude of the emotional pain he felt every day from his experience with Lana Lang was many times greater today than it was twenty years ago when he left Smallville. Time doesn't cure emotional pain for a Kryptonian. Mental training & occasionally drugs can't stop the pain from hurting a Kryptonian with a broken heart but they can from killing him.

Today was a special one for Clark because after twenty years of war it was time to go home to Smallville for a short visit. Only three or four days at the most but they were going to be sweet days. Clark would have loved to spend several months on the farm but knew he needed to keep it short. No need to leave Weave ion trails pointing to earth for Clove probes to pick up. Clark didn't want to think even on his darkest days what the Clove would do to Earth if they ever found the beautiful blue green planet third from the yellow star Sol.

Clark was just happy to be getting back to Smallville for a visit and hoped not too much had changed. He was told by the Weave physicist that wrote the algorithms for the navigation computer's jump points that only two Earth years should have passed.

It turned out that Earth was in the field of a spatial anomaly and time ran slower there. Clark had read all the physics and as a boy even read C.S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Of course its one thing to solve your self the space-time equations or be just be told that like CS Lewis's magical world of Narnia, time runs slower in the Sol system. Then quite another to have spent twenty years at war while on earth two years of uneventful Midwestern life has passed. No matter for Clark Kent the Kryptonian warrior the time had come to put theory to the test and return for some RnR in Smallville.

Clark climbed into his attack ship and plugged in the camouflaged route to Sol. In a few seconds he was away and the Weave star cruiser disappeared behind him as he entered the jump gate and disappeared.

………To be Continued as Part 21: Tyson Goes Swimming or Eat Your Heart Out Baywatch because the Lifeguard is from Krypton!...

PS Reviews are nice and don't forget to flame all you want.

PS To see a picture of Clark's Kzin allies go to:

http: Niven's 'Known Space' novels are classic science fiction and great reading.


	21. A Call to Arms Part 21

Part 21: Tyson Goes Swimming or Eat your Heart Out Baywatch Because the Lifeguard is from Krypton!

Lisa and Leslie were giggling as they rode doubled up on Tyson to the back forty of the Potter farm. They were all heading to the small but deep swimming inlet that was part of the small river that ran from Crater Lake to a tributary of the Mississippi. The twins were doubled up on Tyson because they knew Aunt Lana would be along on Donatello to join them after she finished up in Harry Small's Law Office.

The twins got down off Tyson and stripped down to their swim suits. They left Tyson free to wander grazing along the shore. After the usual laughter and splashing the girls were soaked and tired so got out their towels to lie out on the bank. After getting close to falling asleep while catching a few rays the twins were jolted back to reality by a large crash and sound of falling earth and stone into the river coupled with the high pitched whinny of a very surprised and scared Tyson.

The twins leaped up and ran in the direction of all the noise. The sight that greeted them was Tyson at the bottom of an embankment that had given way as he grazed and he had then slid down it into the river. Tyson was in a total panic mode and was trying to climb straight back up the same steep bank that he slid down.

Both girls knew it would only be minutes before the panic stricken horse tired himself out and slipped away from the embankment and out into the current. If they could calm Tyson down enough to turn out into the current and swim down stream until he found a flat area to climb out while he was still fresh he would be ok. But no such luck already Tyson was starting to exhaust himself with endless attempts to climb out of the water and up the steep embankment.

The girls tried to alternatively calm and then scare Tyson away from the steep bank but the horse just got more and more panicky as exhaustion set in. The twins were also losing their heads when they decided together to slide down the muddy embankment on their backsides to Tyson and try to ride/lead him away from the steep bank. Just as they were starting to slide down to the scared horse flaying away with sharp hoofs a large pair of hands grabbed an upper arm of each of them.

"Just stay up here girls, I'll get him." A second later they had been lifted completely clear of the edge and set upright. A moment later they saw a large dark haired man slide on the soles of his feet, like an Austrian downhill ski champion in the Alps, down the seventy degree embankment to Tyson.

"Be careful Mister the water is deep there."

"I think I just got lucky and found a shallow spot," the dark haired man said as he grabbed Tyson by the nose and neck to calm his bucking head. Over the stranger's shoulder the girls got a full blast of the famous Kent smile and were so overwhelmed by the testosterone hit that they didn't notice how strange it was that the water rose no further than the strangers knees while Tyson's back was under water.

The stranger then bent over and got both arms under Tyson and like he was carrying a yearling lamb turned down stream and carried Tyson to a smaller six foot embankment and then up to the top. The stranger set Tyson down who shook off his ordeal like a good old war horse and trotted off away from the stream before stopping at the tree line.

"He will be ok. He isn't hurt and just needs to catch his breath."

Leslie ran up to the stranger, "Thanks Mister, we didn't know want we were going to do. After seeing you go down the embankment I am sure glad we didn't try it." Lisa jumped in with, "We would have been crushed under Tyson's hoofs for sure. Now that I saw you do it, I can see how stupid it was for us to even think of such a plan. Thanks so much."

"No problem, just happy to have been here. Now you guys be careful….just a minute. Did you say that horse is named Tyson?"

"Yea, he belongs to…"

"Lana Lang; Tyson was once Whitney Fordman's horse"

"Yea, how did you know that? I remember Aunt Lana said Tyson used to belong to her old high school boyfriend. I think his name was Whitney."

The stranger just smiled and in doing so almost knocked the boy crazy twins unconscious with the ensuing tsunami of Kent Charm.

"I used to go to Smallville High with Lana Lang and Whitney Fordman."

"That's so cool. I am Lisa and this is Leslie we are freshmen this year at Smallville High. I am sure my Aunt Lana knows you. What is your name?"

The stranger just laughed and said, "A lot more people at Smallville High remember your Aunt Lana than would ever remember me." He then gave them each a mischievous look and said, "Even though my name is the Lone Ranger."

The twins went into a giggle fit and when they pulled out of it said, "Oh come on, our Aunt Lana should be here to swim with us in a little while. You have to stay and see her again. She is even more beautiful now that she was at Smallville High."

The stranger got a bit of a blue look in his eyes and then went over to get Tyson. He led Tyson back to where the girls had left their towels while the twins walked on each side of him checking him out the whole way. Just as they came up on the towels the girls looked up and saw their Aunt Lana on Donatello come out of the trees on the dirt trail that leads through the woods. The girls squealed in delight and ran to their Aunt Lana each yelling out bits and pieces of the story of Tyson's ordeal.

"It was so scary. We didn't know what to do. Tyson was getting tired and we were going to slide down to try to help him…but then this super guy came to the rescue."

Lana slid off Donatello's back and dropped to the ground, "Easy girls, one at a time. What super guy are you talking about?"

Both twins together said, "Him silly" and turned around. They were looking at Tyson standing there looking confused with his reins hanging down and no stranger holding them. Lisa said, "He was right there a minute ago. Where did he go?"

Leslie with a puzzled look commented, "That's weird," but in a flash she dropped that thought and skipped to how handsome the stranger had been.

Lana took it all in and processed it for a couple seconds. Smallville damsels in distress, handsome stranger saves the day, handsome stranger disappears.

Himmmmmmmm!

Lana took a quick look at each of the twins. Yup, there it was, Lana recognized it in a second. After all she had seen it enough in her own mirror. That giddy, moist panty, sparkly look that every girl that ever saw the world's most alpha male farm boy in action wears on her face after he saves the day. It certainly spent enough time on Lana's face.

So out of Lana's mind popped the answer: Clark Kent.

...to be continued as Part 22: The Charge of Lana's Light Brigade!………..

PS Reviews are nice and don't forget to flame all you want.


	22. A Call to Arms Part 22

Part 22: The Charge of the Lana's Light Brigade!

Lana vaulted onto Donatello and yelled at the girls to come back on their own; she had to run. Well, in reality the running and jumping was going to be done by Donatello. Lana Lang, kicked Donatello in the ribs, pulled her knees in, leaned over Donatello's neck and dropped the reins forward. He got the message and shot down the path back to the Potter's house like a rocket.

Lana had only one thing on her mind; to get to the Kent farm as quickly as possible.

Donatello galloped up the Kent's driveway kicking stones behind him all the way. Lana pulled him to a halt to find Jonathan Kent working shirtless in the yard. She leapt off Donatello and ran over to Jonathon.

"Mr Kent, where is Clark?"

Jonathon Kent stood up and quickly pulled on his T-shirt. Lana was so distracted be mysterious appearance of Clark Kent she didn't notice that for a man that had a triple by-pass Jonathan Kent had a very smooth, unblemished chest with no scar in sight.

"Lana, we have been through this, Clark isn't here you know that."

The twins just saw him down at the river bank in the back forty. Clark saved Tyson when he fell in off the embankment.

"Slow down Lana, just take it easy. When I said Clark wasn't here I meant he just left…"

"That's impossible, there is no way he could have beaten me back. I drove Donatello hard, in a full gallop the whole way, jumping three fences."

Jonathan Kent just took Lana's hand in his and placed his other hand on her shoulder. "All I can tell you Lana is the truth. Clark was just home for a few days and went for a walk this morning before he had to leave. He was one that helped the twins just now but he left a little while ago and doesn't know when he will be able to again visit Smallville. Jonathan released her hand and while holding her shoulder turned her around to walk her back to Donatello. "I'm sorry but he is gone now".

Lana spun and slipped free of Jonathan's hand on her shoulder. She ran to the Kent house and burst through the front door. She dodged around the kitchen table and took the stairs two at a time up to his old room yelling the whole time for Clark. No one was there. Lana didn't miss a beat and did a 180 on a dime and charged outside to sprint for the barn. She was up the stairs into Clark's loft in seconds.

Martha had heard her slam open the kitchen door from where she was reading in the living room. Martha came out onto the porch still holding her novel just in time to see Lana disappear into the barn. Martha walked over to Jonathan and he put his arm around her.

"I think Clark is wrong. Lana really is still in love with him."

"I am inclined to agree with you Martha but it doesn't change anything. Clark is determined to do his part as a Krytonian warrior and fight this war. Winning this war is more important than Clark, Lana, us, Smallville or even Earth. The whole galaxy is at stake. Clark needs to be able to come back to rest and relax so he is ready for action. The truth is Lana is too much of a danger to Clark."

"I know Jonathan but it's not fair to Lana that she discovered Clark was home. It just gives the poor girl some hope no matter how small that something could happen to bring her and Clark together."

"We know that Martha but Lana is with Jason and will get over Clark. The problem knowing what we know Clark will never get over Lana. We must protect him even if it hurts Lana today, she will be ok tomorrow. You know how powerful Clark feels things now. He will never recover if he comes into contact with her."

"I still am so sorry for Lana even if she is with Jason; Clark's disappearance really hurts her. Even if it was not as a couple due to Jason, Lana misses terribly having Clark as just a close friend in her life."

They both looked up and saw a shattered Lana Lang walk out of the barn while mumbling at the ground.

Martha went over to hug Lana who had stopped mumbling and moved on to sobbing. Without Martha to pick up the pieces Jonathan was sure Lana would now be now on to full blown hysterical wailing.

Martha held her tight and walked her into the Kent house. Jonathan watched from the yard through the kitchen window as Martha put on some water for tea. She then led Lana into to the living room to sit down and comfort her while Lana cried herself out.

That is a very sad broken hearted girl Jonathan thought but then he had just spent two days with his son fresh from twenty years of the meat grinder of a brutal galaxy wide war. He knew which of the two was feeling the most pain.

Jonathan never asked what Martha told Lana but it appeared to work. After that day Lana never lost her mysterious tragic aura that enhanced her natural beauty to the point of myth but she never interrogated the Kents about Clark again.

After that day Lana did what a human could and a Kryptonian even with a war to occupy his thoughts could not. Lana Lang moved on.

Lana listened politely and with interest in those rare moments closing up at the Talon when Martha casually thought out loud and mentioned Clark was still alive or how sometimes Martha found it impossible to bear Clark being always in danger at war. But Lana never questioned Martha about any details regarding Clark.

Lana still worked in the Talon during the summer along with the internship at Henry Small's Law Office. And she always visited the Kent's when she was down to Smallville see Henry and Nell but their conversations stayed on Smallville gossip, school and updating the Kents on all Clark's friends. She some times looked wistfully at the family photographs with Clark in them but she never vocalized any further interest in the mystery that was Clark Kent.

A year after Clark's rescue of Tyson the Kents received a wedding invitation from Lana. She and Jason were being married in a huge wedding befitting the Teague family in Metropolis. Jonathan and Martha of course attended and after the wedding for dinner were seated in a table up front with Gabe and Pete along with the Talon staff and Smallville High friends. Chloe was of course the Maid of Honor. Jonathan and Martha had a great time and danced into the night. Lana came over several times to warmly thank them for coming. She never mentioned Clark.

As expected Lana Lang looked radiant in her wedding dress that she designed herself. She ended up on the front page of the Daily Planet in a story written by society columnist Cat Grant. It was from the photograph of Lana Lang in her wedding dress that appeared beside the story that her design career started to take off.

Between applying for Law Schools, freelance design consultancy and being newly married Lana was a very busy young woman.

In fact all day Lana didn't have a spare moment to think about anything else other than where the devil had Clark Kent disappeared to?

….to be continued as Part 23: Santa Claus is from Krypton………..

PS Reviews are nice and don't forget to flame all you want.


	23. A Call to Arms Part 23

Part 23: Santa Claus is from Krypton!

It was the Christmas after the summer that Lana and Jason got married. Nell had invited Lana and Jason over to spend Christmas with her, Dean and the twins.

After making the uneventful drive from Metropolis Lana had spent the first two nights at Henry Small's and then after lunch on this day of Christmas Eve moved over to Nell's house.

The twins Lisa and Leslie were driving back from their two day shopping safari to Metropolis in the evening. They had gone to Metropolis with three other Smallville High friends where they had spent a couple days exploring the city and doing some last minute Christmas shopping.

Jason arrived a couple of hours ago from seeing his family in Metropolis. He would be spending Christmas at Nells with Lana and then they would both go back to Metropolis for New Years.

Lana was a little worried about the twins and their friends. The snow started to fall heavy yesterday and never let up. Jason said has mid afternoon drive had been difficult even for him in his Toyota Land Cruiser. The twins didn't have a 4x4 but were in their beat up Nissan Maxima.

Lana was a little annoyed with Jason over the whole situation. She had called him in Metropolis after the snow started to really build up and asked Jason to meet the twins and their friends and bring everyone back to Smallville in the Land Cruiser. They could just leave the little Nissan in Metropolis and bring it back to Smallville after New Years. Jason had blown her suggestion off and just said they would be ok and it was too much trouble to have to listen to five teenage girl's gossip on the three hour drive to Smallville.

As the evening started to creep up on them the weather turned from a heavy snow storm to a full blizzard white-out. Lana had been out to the barns to check on the horses for Jonathan Kent and had trouble keeping on her feet in the bitter wind during the walk to and back from the stables.

So Lana was getting worried about the girls especially since their cell phones were unreliable and cutting in and out due to the weather. Lisa had called but had been breaking up during the conversation but Lana did catch that they had just come through Grandville but were only creeping along. Because of the white out they expected it to take a couple hours before they made it home.

At the Kent farm it was a very special Christmas.

Clark had arrived yesterday after leaving his Weave attack ship cloaked by the Hubble space telescope. Before coming down Clark changed the batteries, aligned the solar panels and fixed the gyroscopes so the Hubble Space Telescope would mysteriously work for years and years past its supposed obsolescence date.

After doing a final check on the old but magnificent telescope Clark flew down to his beloved Smallville. Pete had come out to have a Christmas Eve visit and after seeing the blizzard come in had called his mother on the land line to say he was staying at the Kents for the night.

Clark showing up was the best Christmas present that Jonathan, Martha and Pete could hope for. The problem was Clark was not spending as much time at home as they had hoped.

As soon as the blizzard delivered the white-out conditions Clark said goodbye to Pete and his parents for a couple hours and headed out to super speed the roads using his X-ray vision to check for motorists in trouble.

At first there were quite a few but Clark cleared up most of the problems with little trouble. Even the two jackknifed 18 wheelers were little more that a five minute job. After forty years fighting in a galactic war in comparison a Smallville freak blizzard was positively tame.

The twins and their friends however did not share Clark's benevolence to the blizzard. They had lost count of the number of times they had almost driven off the road but now were in the home stretch about two miles from Nell's farm and Aunt Lana's home-made eggnog. Of course just when you relax is when Murphy's Law kicks in and in the home stretch Lisa lost traction on a corner and slid off into the ditch.

It was lucky that due to the poor visibility because of the blizzard they were going so slow that no one was hurt. The bad news was they were in deep and sunk to the axels in the deep snow.

Leslie was all for taking a shot at walking home and after being unable to open her passenger door due to a snow drift rolled down the window and climbed out across the hood of the car to the other side. Once she stepped off the car and sunk to mid thigh she decided that discretion was the better part of valor and got back into the car.

The twins coming back with their friends from Metropolis didn't see any of it as life threatening but the car wouldn't start and it was starting to get cold. The cell phones couldn't find a signal so calling home to the Potter farm to have Jason come out in the Land Cruiser to get them wasn't an option.

Mean while back in the world of a visiting space alien, Smallville was looking clear of all traffic accidents. Clark zipped out to the highway and checked things out all the way to Granville.

Clark was anxious to get back to the Kent farm so even flew a few stranded motorists into the center of town in their cars just to finish up that evenings rescue duties. He wondered what rationalization they would use to convince themselves that the feeling of flight and sudden appearance on a downtown street was not personal 'wall of weird' material.

After sitting in the ditch for over an hour in a stalled and stuck car there were five teenage girls that were getting past scared and moving to panic over their predicament.

None of the girls had dressed for a polar expedition but were wearing their shopping mall attire. They were getting pretty cold and trying their best to reassure each other that everything was going to be ok through chattering teeth.

It was just when things seem the darkest there was a knock on the driver's window. Lisa rolled down the window and gave a squeal of relief and hormones when through the falling snow she got a close up blast of the Clark Kent smile.

Then before Lisa found her voice the smile said to her the reassuring words, "Hi, are you guys all right?"

"We are fine Mister but just really cold. Our house is just a little way up the road; could you give us a ride home? I sure hope you have room in your car, there are five of us."

Now Clark had a bit of a problem. With the accident being so close to the Kent farm he didn't want to just lift it back onto the road. They had seen him and it might have been forty years for him but on this third rock of Sol it had been just four years since he left Smallville.

His parents told him of the gossip that raced through SMallville after the last sighting of the mysterious stranger who rescued the horse of two Smallville High school freshmen.

The rumours had finally died down but the danger was real that someone would put two and two together after hearing a description of Clark Kent and shine the light on his parents.

A second later Lisa put two and two together and squealed, "Hey, you are Smallville High's Lone Ranger!"

Clark could only roll his eyes and think, 'Totally busted."

It might have been twenty Galaxy years since he last saw Lisa but seeing that the love of his Kyptionian heart Lana Lang had been on that scene so many years ago Clark remembered every detail like it was yesterday.

"Yes, I remember you and I see your sister is sitting beside you. Leslie and Lisa right?"

The twins giggled back in stereo their positive answers and introduced their friends in the back seat.

"Why didn't you stay when you saved Tyson to see our Aunt Lana? She was pretty upset that she didn't get a chance to see you last time."

'Right, I'm sure she was just that,' thought Clark sarcastically.

"So, Mr Lone Ranger or should I say Clark Kent you have to come in to see Aunt Lana when we get to the farm. She will be furious with us if we let you get away a second time."

"So how do you know my name?"

"Well, Aunt Lana wouldn't tell us anything about you but we remembered you said you went to Smallville High so just checked the year books in the library and there you were.

The Torch and the Ledger had story after story on you always saving people and being the hero. I guess you being here tonight saving us shows that nothing about you has changed."

Clark just smiled at them and said, "Actually I have changed a lot. More than I can even say. But enough of that just give me a sec to figure out how to get you guys out of here and back to your Christmas Eve celebrations."

'Now is the time to think fast,' thought Clark. It was a little awkward but Clark saw no option but to tell them that he didn't have a car but was just out walking around. At first the girls couldn't believe someone would be out for a stroll in a blizzard. But a few seconds later all was forgotten including the cold and the girls instead concentrated on checking out the handsome stranger.

Clark finally came up with the plan to fly over to the farm and get his father or Pete if he was still visiting to come and pick up the girls.

"I am just going to walk over to the road for a minute to make a call and I will have my friend drive out to pick you guys up."

With a worried look Leslie said, "I don't think that is going to work. We have been trying that for the last hour. Our phones can't find a signal."

"Just let me check anyway. I think part of your phone trouble may be that you are not outside but in the car." Clark smiled and turned away and thought, 'Ok, so it's lame but I can't very well fly off in front of them.'

…….to be continued as Part 24: Santa's little helper Drives a Cherokee!...

PS Reviews are nice and don't forget to flame all you want.


	24. A Call to Arms Part 24

Part 24: Santa's little Helper Drives a Cherokee!

Clark walked away from the car and as soon as he disappeared into the falling snow took off for the Kent Farm. He came into the kitchen to see Pete and his parents watching a DVD which was; what else 'A Wonderful Life'. In less than a minute Pete pulled on his coat and swung into action. After Pete hopped into his Grand Cherokee and Clark lifted the Jeep over his head and flew off to the accident scene.

It was just minutes after Clark left the girls that once again they heard a knock on the driver's window of the Nissan.

"Hi Guys, we finally had some luck and good luck this time. I called my friend and he just happened to be driving down the road just half a kilometer away. So let's get you guys and your stuff out and loaded up into his Cherokee and he can take you all home."

Just then Pete appeared and after some quick introductions Pete got the girls together to guide them through the drifts to where his Cherokee was parked. Clark got the Nissan's keys from Lisa and went to open the trunk and get the bags for the girls. The twins offered to go with him to help because off all the stuff they bought in Metropolis but Pete just smiled and said he is sure that Clark can handle it and most likely in one trip.

The girls opened the door to Pete's Cherokee and immediately smiled at the blast of warm air from the heater. They hadn't even settled in and Clark was already opening the back hatch of the Jeep and piling their shopping bags and suit cases into the back.

Lisa was being hypnotized watching the Smallville High hero Clark load in the suit cases while Leslie sang out, "Come up and sit with us Lone Ranger or Clark Kent or whoever you are?"

Clark just gave the girls a warm smile and filled them in on Plan A. "Actually, Pete is going to take you guys home while I take another look at your car. I think I may have a way to get it out."

The girls were visibly disappointed when Clark disappeared into the swirling snow while Pete slipped into the Cherokee into 4x4 drive and started to take them all back to their home.

It was a remarkably slow drive home in the white out and the girls bombarded Pete with questions about Clark. The twins knew how upset their Aunt Lana had been to miss seeing Clark when he saved Tyson so they didn't want to let this opportunity to slip away.

Pete with the practiced diplomacy that would later serve him so well in political life just deflected all their questions about the current news on Clark. He instead kept all five girls entertained and in alternative states of shock and wonder with stories of how in the good old days of Smallville High against the meteor freaks Clark Kent in plaid had saved the day time and time again.

...Continued below...

...Continued from above...

They pulled into the lane way and blasted their way through the snow drifts until Pete stopped his Cherokee beside the Potter farmhouse. The girls all pilled out and the twins started to help unload the shopping bags and suitcases but Pete shooed them into the house since they will still dressed for the mall not sub-zero temperatures. The girls all pilled into the house to the relief greetings of Lana, Nell and the rest.

Lana finally felt the sweet relief from worrying about the twins and their friends. Everyone started to talk at once but before the story could come out about the rescue Pete knocked at the door with a load from the Cherokee. Everyone started to grab their bags while Pete headed out for another of what was going to be several separate trips through the blowing snow. The twin's friends went to the land line to call their parents to let them know they were ok and would be staying at Nell and Dean's overnight.

Lisa and Leslie started to put on their warm parkas so they could go help Pete.

Lisa was struggling with her boots when Leslie said, "Looks like Mr Ross is going to need to take several trips. I wonder how Clark Kent was able to bring all the bags in just one trip?"

The blood ran out of Lana's face as she turned to the twins. "Where did you hear that name? What happened out there tonight?"

Leslie with a huge smile answered her Aunt, "You know Aunt Lana, the cute guy that rescued Tyson two summers ago when he fell down the embankment." Just then Lisa cut in with, "You are so wrong, he is more than cute. He is handsome and as nice as he looks."

"Ya, you are right. Anyway he saved us again. We thought it strange that the same guy that you knew in Smallville High would save us a second time. But then Mr Ross cleared up the mystery by telling us during the drive back from the accident how Clark Kent would rescue everyone in Smallville when he lived here."

Lana processed this new information, "Mr Ross! Is that Pete Ross that drove you guys here and is out getting your stuff?" The twins just nodded and started to talk but Lana cut them off. "You guys get out there and give him a hand and invite him in for eggnog and don't take no for an answer." The twins just flashed the thumbs up and headed out to give Pete a hand.

Pete tried to beg off on the eggnog offer but the twins had their orders and weren't backing down. So five minutes later Pete was sitting at the kitchen table with his parka and boots off but still wearing his snow pants having eggnog. Sitting to his left were the twins and across from him was Lana glaring at him.

Lana leaned forward and softly said, "Ok Pete, where is Clark?"

Pete sipped his eggnog and tried to collect his thoughts. "Clark is home from the war to see his family for just a couple days during the holiday season. Clark went for a walk and found the girls stranded. Since he was on foot he went and got me so I could bring my Cherokee to drive them home."

Lisa and Leslies eyes opened wide as they interjected, "Clark Kent is in a war? What war are you talking about?"

"You wouldn't have heard about this war. It's not a war where the American military is involved in and it's a long way from here."

The twins didn't like that answer and started to asked again but Lana just said, "That's ok girls." She then asked Pete in a very bitter tone, "Why didn't Clark come in to at least say Merry Christmas? I haven't seen him in years."

"You know why Lana. It's the same reasons as before; the same reason as the day Clark left Smallville five years ago. I know you don't understand it Lana but that reason back then is as valid today. Besides seeing that Clark has been in almost continuous combat he probably didn't see much to be merry about this Christmas."

"Does he know Jason and I are married?" At this statement the twins stopped fidgeting and started to listen. The twins gave each other a wow-old-boyfriend story coming up look about Aunt Lana and the mysterious Clark Kent.

"Yes, I told him"

Lana looked down for a second and then raised her eyes to lock them on to Pete, "What did he have to say about it?"

Pete looked Lana straight in the eye. "Exactly what you would expect Clark to say about you finding happiness in married life. He is thinking only of you and Clark actually said it is a relief for him to know that Lana is married to someone she loves and is going to finally have what she always wanted, her own family."

Pete paused for a couple seconds and then when on, "You know Lana, I am not going to sugar coat it for you. You emotionally shattered Clark long before you got married. Even back then, and more so now, Clark knows that he could never have made you happy. Sure it hurts him every day but he knows it's the truth. He hasn't changed; then, as now, all Clark wants in a more sweet, than bitter bittersweet way is for you to be happy."

Lana's come back came dressed in a very sarcastic tone, "Then why Pete didn't he come in so he could see how happy I really am that he is not part of my life?"

Pete realizing they had a very attentive audience turned to the twins and said, "Could you girls do me a favor and please go call the Kent's and tell them I got you all here ok and will be back over in a little while."

This conversation was too interesting to leave but the twins knew they were being ditched after the look their Aunt Lana give them so had to get up to leave Pete and Lana alone.

"Come on Lana, put it together. You are married. A long time ago you made a choice between a private man who loved you since he was five years old and who saved your life over a dozen times versus a respectable, average, ordinary guy that made you feel safe."

"I might think you made the wrong choice but Clark agrees with you, not me. Now Clark is only home for a short time before he goes back to war. He doesn't need to have his face rubbed in what Jason has given you and he never could. Now the fact is Clark has got to be able to keep his head in combat. So just be happy that Clark is still alive and help him to stay that way by leaving him alone."

Lana started to argue but Pete just held up his hand, "Lana, you won. Your prediction all those years ago came true. You are happily married and Clark is alone. You won. You were right and everyone know it. There is no need to do the 'I told you so' and toss it in Clark's face again and again for a pound of flesh."

"Pete, I would never say that to Clark," said Lana in a small voice. "I don't care who was right or wrong or anything about anything. I just want to see Clark again."

Pete stood up and walked over to the front door to pull on his boots and put on his parka. Lana got up and followed him over, "I would never do that Pete. Maybe that angry girl that came back from Paris years ago would have back then but that wasn't, I mean isn't me now. I just want to see him again and know in person that he is alright."

Pete looked out the window at the blowing snow, "I won't lie to you Lana, war does things to you, especially if you are someone like Clark. He is not alright but he is ok."

"After all, Clark has walked a long time with the weight of more than just this world on his shoulders so he is pretty used to it. But it really wouldn't do him any good to see you, Lana. Clark is pretty witless around you and these days Clark needs his wits about him. Just let him be."

The twins and their three friends came in from the family room where everyone was watching TV. They said thanks to Pete and asked him to pass on all their best wishes to their mysterious rescuer Clark Kent.

Leslie thought she saw some movement in the laneway but the visibility was too bad to be sure so she scurried over to the window and cupped her hands around her face to have a look. Suddenly she squealed, "Look guys the Nissan is parked out beside Mr. Ross's Jeep Cherokee."

Pete just smiled and said, "I guess Clark did find a way to get your car out of the ditch."

After Merry Christmas and goodbyes all around Pete turned to open the front door. Lana stepped up to Pete and kissed him on the cheek and whispered in his ear, "Ok you win, just give him my best wishes Pete and tell him I miss having him in my life." Lana then hugged him and Pete opened the door and headed out to his Cherokee to drive back over to the Kent's.

'Well, that didn't go so bad,' thought Pete as he turned into the Kent's drive way. 'At least Jason didn't come out of the TV room. I just can't stand that guy.'

……..to be continued as Part 25: Today it's Raining in North Korea or Go Tell It to the Spartans!...

PS Please review and feel free to flame.

PPS Ok from here on in things are going to get kind of weird. I know it's going to seem like the story has gone off the rails but there is a method to the madness.


	25. A Call to Arms Part 25

Fair warning: Off the rails and not pretty!

Part 25: Today it's Raining in North Korea or Go Tell It to the Spartans!

Whitney didn't feel much like the star quarterback now. And no one could mistake Yanggangdo Province in the northern frontier region of North Korea for the Smallville High Football Stadium on game day.

It was cold and wet and but they sure weren't lost. Well at least not lost in the location sense due to their GPSs but they would be lost in the life sense if they didn't get to the LZ for pick up.

Whitney felt like he had played three football games back to back with no break in between quarters. Whitney knew if he a black opts sniper scout felt that way then Soon Ko Lee the beautiful but fragile North Korean scientist must be really hurting as they humped up the Changingang valley with mountains on both sides.

Whitney thanked the rain Gods that it was still coming down. Sure the rain made everyone miserable cold and wet alive but that beat being miserable and wet dead.

The moment the weather cleared Whitney knew the North Koreans would have their Russian build Mi-24 gun-ships in the air. And as long as the Gods are being thanked then thank God they don't have all weather Apaches.

There were eight in the unit but counting the package Soon Ko Lee there were nine moving hard and fast up the valley. It is amazing how fast you can move when you are dead tired but have a North Korean Mountain Unit on your ass.

Soon Ko Lee was in major pain but it was nothing like the pain of spending the last two years in the forced labor camp at Chungbong coal mine.

The special opts team had gone in to get her when her father made it clear to the US and South Korean governments that unless she got out of North Korea he was going to return. No way that could happen because Soon Ko Lee's father was a brilliant nuclear physicist.

So the choice was either go in and play the 'get out of jail free' card or kill the old man. Little did the father know that if the special opts team didn't get his daughter out he was a dead man. No way was anyone going to allow him to go work his nuclear magic for Kim Jong Li.

Better to be lucky than good anytime and except for the last twelve hours the mission had been a lucky one. The snatch out of the Chungbong mine came off ok, in fact without a hitch. Now trucking on north under a head of steam Soon Ko Lee was moving her tiny ass like a trooper rather than a concentration camp survivor. And best of all the weather was keeping the Mi-24 gunships out of the sky.

The only problem was being surprise bounced about twelve hours ago by a North Korean Mountain Unit 300 strong. So that is how this game had unfolded to this point for the team.

The plan now was to high tail it to the LZ and hope that weather clears long enough to be picked up but not long enough for the Mi-24 gunships to find and intercept them. Or option two was to rock on to the Yalu River and swim to of all places: China. Whitney chuckled at the irony. Only if your American ass is stuck in North Korea would you consider swimming to China as a rational act.

...Continued below

...Continued from above

Whitney was holding the back door and turned to bring his AWM .338 Lapua sniper rifle to his shoulder. A quick peek down the B & L 10x40 power scope told him that the North Koreans were still on the other side of the ridge.

The special opts team really had to clear this valley and get up and over the mountain ridge in front of them before the North Koreans did the same behind his little unit.

No doubt the North Korean unit would have their own snipers armed with Russian Dragunov long range rifles. There was little doubt the Dragunovs would make short work of all of them if caught in the open trying to clear the valley.

Whitney jumped up and turned to see the special opts team leader Burghardt looking at him in anticipation.

"What's up Quarterback?"

Whitney just shook his head to let him know the North Koreans hadn't cleared the ridge. The look of relief on Burghardt's face was obvious. Whitney had to laugh that Burghardt even took the time to ask. When the North Koreans cleared the ridge they would know it in seconds when the Dragunovs started to pick them off.

The special opts team scrambled up the steep slope knowing that the only safe place in the valley was over the ridge and out of it.

Soon Ko Lee was really starting to labor so the team took turns carrying, pulling and pushing her along. It was handy when it came to carrying her that she was nothing more than a beautiful paper white skeleton after two years in the Chungbong camp.

Whitney being on the team's six didn't hear the groans of disappointment when Burghardt and the lead four made the top of the ridge. Another valley lay out before them. There was no way they were going to clear this one and slip over the mountains ahead of the North Korean Mountain Troops.

"Suggestions"

"Check for passes to the east or west. There may be a side door out." They scoped both sides and of course, Murphy's law kicked in and no such luck.

Whitney knew there was the one and only option that might ensure they clear the valley. The bitch was that his option involved the guy with AWM .338 Lapua playing Horatius Cocles.

Whitney piped up with his plan, "Horatius at the bridge."

Every special forces soldier knew the story even though it happened centuries ago of the Roman hero Horatius's stand on the bridge.

"Shit, Quarterback not that option."

"It's the only one."

"Fuck Quarterback, its toast and the long shot best result is ending up a prisoner."

"They won't be taking a sniper prisoner. Here is my stuff, send it to my mom in Smallville. The North Koreans won't be able to identify me and hang it on stateside."

Burghardt knew Whitney was right and in a second made the decision, "Ok Quarterback, what to you want?"

Whitney looked back across the valley they just crossed and out lined his tactical plan. "I have a clear kill zone and good angles on the flanks. They will send flanking teams moving fast. I can hold the main unit with my AWM Lupua at range as they come across open ground but am going to need high cycle firepower for the flankers when they get in close."

Whitney turned back to the special opts leader and said, "All I need is two clips from each guy and a M4 for the close in work after I finish the ammo for my Lupua."

The team quickly broke out their extra ammo and each wished him luck when they handed it over. The trooper carrying Soon Ko Lee gave up his M4.

Everyone knew Whitney was walking death. The Quarterback with his AWM Lupua rifle would sell his life dearly but with 300 North Korean Mountain troops coming at him the laws of physics regarding flying lead were not on him staying alive.

No one knew what to say so after a few mumbled goodbyes and blank stares out of them Whitney took control. "Hey guys, this is the Quarterback's show now so get your asses across that valley and the lady to safety. Now bug out."

"You heard the Quarterback, move out."

Burghardt hung back as the others started to scramble down into the second valley. Soon Ko Lee was too tired to speak but mouthed a Korean blessing and weakly waved to Whitney as she was carried away.

Whitney took in her fragile beauty for a couple seconds and thought, 'Wow, if my science teachers looked like that back in Smallville High I would have said screw the football team and gone geek.'

Soon Ko Lee was gone and he turned to Burghardt who has having trouble getting his feet moving.

"You better rock, that is a long valley."

"Is there anything I can do? I mean back home for you. What about that girl whose picture you carry?"

"No, she married some guy and doesn't even know I am alive." Whitney thought of how he feared Clark winning Lana's heart away from him. Turns out she slipped through both their fingers burning them quite nicely in the process.

Losing her to Clark, another Smallville guy who he knew loved her and would treat her right was something that he could accept in time; well a lot of time but not to some rich asshole from Metropolis.

"Nah, just send my stuff to my mum," Whitney looked wistfully around. So this is what it had come to for Smallville's 'remember him' sports hero. Not the first choice for checking out: dying violently and alone in a cold wet valley in North Korea.

Whitney turned back to Burghardt and said, "You know I really thought some day after traveling the world I would get slotted and they would send my body back to finally fill that empty coffin sitting in my grave in Smallville."

"Sorry Quarterback, no such luck."

"Ya, no such luck." Whitney smiled and gave a surprised Burghardt the push that would finally get the guy headed for safety. Burghardt fell on his ass and started to slide down the ridge. So as quick as that the team bugged out. The last Whitney saw of them they were humping ass across the valley.

Whitney started to set up the AWM Lapua and took out his clips and checked the tungsten headed .338 rounds. The M4 and the extra clips were set off to cover the left for when the flanking teams came in. Whitney took out his four grenades and cursed himself for not asking for more grenades from the team before they bugged out.

What the hell what did it matter? Most likely he would be dead long before the flanking teams got within grenade range. Whitney expected that after they spot him the North Koreans would place spotters up high to call coordinates and bring in 81 mm mortars and blow him to hell.

On the far side of the valley the first North Korean scouts came into view. Whitney watched them clear the ridge and start sliding down into the valley through the B&L scope.

He let the leaders get three hundred meters down so they would have a long bloody scramble back up. Or if they moved forward he had plenty of time to put the .338 tungsten bullets right where he wanted to before they made the valley floor and cover.

'Where is he, where is he,' Whitney said to himself as he scanned the North Korean troops that were now pouring over the ridge. Then as clear as day in the rain through the 10x40 scope he saw the one soldier he had been looking for. Whitney started to take the slack out of the trigger and a split second later the first time in North Korean history the sound of a .338 bullet leaving the barrel of an AWM Lapua at 2,970 feet per second echoed across the valley.

Whitney's view through the scope was constant due to the muzzle break on the AWM that reduced the recoil and jump of the barrel. He could follow the flight of the bullet. Some called the vortex of the bullet's journey the "wash" and others the "contrail". What ever you wanted to call it he could see the bullet track all the way across the valley and saw it strike. Arms had gone high into the air and the target now tumbled down the slope to the valley floor.

The North Korean soldier that was unlucky enough to be carrying the Russian made R-107 radio didn't have a whole lot to think about as the .338 bullet went through his spine between the second and third thoracic vertebrae and exited out his back to then kill the radio.

Whitney never broke sight holding the zero and just muttered "Go Crows!" as he threw the bolt and picked another target.

…….To be continued as Part 26: The Quarterback's Last Stand I

PS Please review and feel free to flame.


	26. A Call to Arms Part 26

Part 26: The Quarterback's Last Stand I !

Snipers live in a professional sense for two things. The first is a one on one duel with another master sniper and the second is to hold up as long as possible three hundred trained enemy soldiers armed with AK-47s and kill as many as you can for as long as you live.

Whitney was kind of sorry to have missed out on the first but at least this afternoon in North Korea was going to deliver the second.

How do you think of 300 North Koreans that are trying to kill you? Men, soldiers, sons, brothers, husbands or do you see just targets?

Whitney took a page out of the book of the great African big game hunter Hesketh-Prichard of turn of the century Kenya who turned sniper for the British in WWI. Hesketh-Prichard thought of the Germans in the trenches as merely as 'dangerous soft-skinned' game'. Well if it worked for the great sniper Hesketh-Prichard then it works for Whitney.

However unlike hunting for leopard or lion this big game was coming at Whitney with AK-47s.

Whitney looked for the second radio man who would call in the Mi-24 gunships if the rain cleared. The first one had been easy but the second was now scurrying rat like on the valley floor behind cover. Then he was called over by an officer and came briefly into the open turning his back to the end of the valley where Whitney held the zero with the AWM Lupua.

This time the .338 bullet hit the radio first ripping through it, destroying it and then went to the man whipping him around to die a few seconds later of shock and blood loss. But before the second radio man could die Whitney shot the North Korean officer who was still holding the radio's mike in the throat, a spew of crimson foaming down his front in the split second before he dropped.

Whitney swung his AWM Lapua to the left and rocketed a bolt throw to take out a machine gun team that was trying to maneuver to the left to set up a suppressive fire on the flank. After putting a round into the machine gunner's stomach he put the second round into the loader's chest cavity as he tried to take the machine gun from his dead comrade's hands.

Whitney was in full crucifier mode with a body packed to the breaking point with adrenaline. The North Koreans were good, in fact, more than good. A boy scout with a 22 rifle could break a Iraqi Republican Guard unit charge by just killing a few officers. But not these brainwashed Manchurian Candidates to a man elite North Korean Mountain troops.

Whitney shot as fast as he could to break the charge. Tossing the bolt like lightening. If he didn't break the charge Whitney knew his death would have been in vain. He would be dead and the North Korean sniper would be on his ridge and would kill with the Dragunov rifle his special opts team crossing the valley floor under the ridge behind him at leisure. All his guys would be dead and Soon Ko Lee would be back in a Chungbong camp in 48 hours.

So in the perfect O of the B&L scope Whitney became the executioner.

The North Koreans came fast moving across the valley floor and up the slope aggressively, under the strategy of forward maneuver under cover fire. Taking dozens of casualties from Whitney's AWM Lapua but the continued to close in for the ultimate kill.

Whitney hunted anything he could see. He shot running men, shooting men, hiding men and if he could only see a head over a rock giving covering fire he shot at that seeing the fly of liquid signaling a brain out of it's cavity leaking and wreaked.

Whitney was in the sniper zone where eyesight is verging on the super natural. He couldn't think of anything but shooting targets.

Whitney hunted officers, sergeants, machine gun crews and most of all he hunted the Dragunov. He killed a brave private trying to drag his comrade to cover. He killed a mortar team as they tried to set up to wait for the spotters to call in the American sniper's coordinates. A young North Korean officer stood up and tried to rally his men and was rewarded with a .338 bullet delivered at over 2000 feet per second into his main body cavity.

The problem with being a sniper with a lot of targets is you are shooting all the time at all those targets. Every shot is a risk of giving away your position to a counter sniper.

The first rule of sniping is shoot and move but Whitney needing to hold his end of the valley against an aggressive covering fire charge didn't have the option to move. He knew it was only a matter of time before the North Korean counter sniper figured out where he was and moved for a position angle to kill him with the Dragunov.

Whitney needed to get lucky and kill the counter sniper on the valley floor while breaking the charge. He couldn't defend himself against a counter sniper and kill anyone with an AK-47 at the same time.

It was going to be close but the brave North Korean charge was broke by a washed up Smallville Crow with an AWM Lapua. The North Koreans lost their taste for the carnage and broken in spirit scattered looking for cover.

Whitney breathed a sign of relief and knew he was going to live a little while longer. Well that is what he thought for a few seconds until he first heard and then saw why the North Koreans broke off their charge.

Fuck! There it was at the end of the valley moving toward him…..

…….To be continued as Part 27: The Quarterback's Last Stand II !

PS Please review and feel free to flame.


	27. A Call to Arms Part 27

Part 27: The Quarterback's Last Stand II !

It was one brave North Korean helicopter pilot or maybe just a scared one following crazy orders to take his Mi-24 gunship up in this weather.

Whitney knew the Mi-24 gunship with it's amour plate and bullet proof glass canopy would move up the valley and following the gestures of the North Korean troops on the ground would find him and blow him apart in seconds. There was no way out and Whitney was cornered.

Shit, well it had been fun well it lasted. Whitney felt a bit cheated about losing so soon. 'Well, fuck me,' Whitney thought, 'if I can't take a joke'.

It had been a good fight and without the Mi-24 gunship showing up Whitney thought he just might have got lucky enough to hold them off long enough for the special opts team and Soon Ko Lee to get safely across the valley behind him.

Then Whitney noticed something about the Mi-24. The pilot should have been watching the North Koreans on the ground and following their gestures to his general location.

The Mi-24 is amour plated especially on the front and should have been coming straight at him. Instead it was zigzagging from side to side in a search pattern. Maybe it was trying to draw his fire? Even a .388 magnum tungsten bullet would bounce off that amour plate? And not only did the Mi-24 have the armor plated on the front. The Mi-24 also had armor plate on the sides and under part of the fuselage.

However, as anyone who served in Afghansitan against the Russians knew there was one weak point. Special opts spooks had taught the Afghan mujahedin to shoot the gear box in the mounting under the rotors because it was not armor plated.

'Sweet,' thought Whitney.

He would only have a few seconds to hit a moving flying target as it turned for the final pass along his end of the valley. After that he had no target but just armored fuselage.

Whitney waited for the helicopter to dip down and turn and then he saw it. The gearbox below the outstretched sweep of the rotors. Whitney squeezed the trigger and watched the vortex of the bullets passage through the moist air. The .338 bullet impacted and metal parts dropped away from the Mi-24. She shuttered for a second. Just long enough for Whitney to rake back the bolt and put a second round into the spinning shape of the Mi-24's tail rotor. At over 500 yards Whitney quickly fired two more times into the tail rotor.

Through his B&L scope Whitney watched the North Korean pilot still secure inside his bullet proof canopy waving wildly as the helicopter started to tilt away to the left and then accelerated to finish in a death dive to the valley floor.

In another life the smalltown sports hero would have been carried around the field on the shoulders of his adoring team. Maybe even a doe eyed, raven haired cheerleader would run up to him and give him a kiss.

But this is not Smallville but a cold wet valley in North Korea.

Whitney knew he had bought some time for the special opts team and Soon Ko Lee but his fate was still sealed. But looking on the bright side instead of dying in a couple minutes he at least was going to at least now take a few more North Korean soldiers with him before he got slotted.

Just then a fierce buzz stung the air and a bullet from a 7.62x54R cartridge impacted singing off a rock just to Whitney's right, a couple inches above his skull. Dragunov! A North Korean counter sniper now had his position.

Time to duel!

Whitney rolled to the right choosing to lean into the punch or turn into the traction slide what ever metaphor you feel like using assuming that it would be the last thing the counter sniper expected.

He then did the second thing the counter sniper never expected. He broke the second rule of sniping 101 and looked over rather than around the rock.

Looking over the rock was a tremendous risk but Whitney gambled that the North Korean counter sniper would go for the fast second shot since the Dragunov rife was semi-auto.

The second 7.62 bullet from the Dragunov hit right where he had been lying in his good solid locked Adductor magnus shooting position when he broke the North Korean charge.

The gamble paid off and Whitney knew exactly where the Dragunov was firing from. He didn't have time to laser the distance with his Leica range finder but estimated the old fashion way. It was good to be warmed up and already in the sniper zone.

In less than a second Whitney made the adjustments.

It was over 1000 yards if it was an inch, call it 1150, wind maybe three or four miles an hour from the side; but the wind was stronger at the Dragunov's position; call it five to seven.

The .338 bullet would fly first on an arc that was eighteen inches to the left of the Dragunov before the wind straightened it to land on the Dragunov.

At maximum height during flight the .338 bullet would be on a line that was 135 inches above the Dragunov before dropping to aiming point and hopefully impact.

Whitney took the slack out of the trigger and the AWM sent the bullet on its way. He dropped to the side just as a 7.62 bullet sizzled over the rock he had shot from.

Through the B&L scope Whitney saw the North Korean sniper with his head raised slightly watching the wash of his shot at Whitney go through the air. The .388 bullet competed its arc and finished as a mist or fog suddenly filled the air behind the North Korean sniper's head.

The meaty vapor was a welcome sight as far as Whitney was concerned.

Whitney watched it all through the 10x40 scope fixing it in his memory as the North Korean sniper with the upper quadrant of what once was a human face now ragged and gaping open fell sideways and disappeared.

'Fuck me gently!' Whitney thought, 'that was a hell of a shot at over 1000 yards for a Dragunov. That guy was really good. Jesus I hope they don't have anyone else in that league.'

Now a bit of a Mexican standoff had developed. The two best chances the North Koreans had, the Mi-24 gunship and the counter sniper, to take out the American sniper with no more casualties hadn't worked. On the plus side for Kim Jong Li the North Koreans now knew within several meters where Whitney was hiding.

The North Koreans now went back to doing things the old fashion way. They sent flanking parties down the ridges on each side to close in on Whitney in a pincher movement while those left on the valley floor put up covering fire.

Their bullets thunked and cracked around Whitney but you have to really hold high with an AK-47 at that range so they were betting on volume of fire rather than someone aiming and taking out Whitney like the Dragunov had almost pulled off.

The North Korean bullets were chipping away at the rocks bouncing around and Whitney was more concerned about a ricashay getting him than an aimed shot.

Whitney kept shooting back with aimed direct fire and it was not longer a turkey shoot to break a charge but the North Korean bodies kept piling up.

Whitney then did a quick inventory. He had been carrying 90 rounds of .338 magnum Lapua rounds. He now had less than fifteen rounds left. He fired maybe seventy five aimed shots and not counting the Mi-24 maybe missed once or twice.

Even the wounded didn't last long without immediate medical attention when hit by the .338 tungsten bullets so most likely he had killed more than seventy of the North Korean Mountain troops.

They could still get him in a rush and most likely knew he was getting low on ammo for the sniper rifle. Still it takes a brave man to start the charge knowing he is going to be the first target.

No, after the beating they took trying to maneuver and fire the first time across the valley floor Whitney expected them to just wait for the flanking parties to bounce him. Then they could advance with strong suppressive fire on their flanks and then kill him.

There was going to be a surprise for the first few when they find out he is a sniper with an M4 .223 assault rifle up his sleeve but still no way out for the Quarterback.

All this speculation assumed this hail of bullets coming at him from the valley floor doesn't get him before the flanking teams get into position.

Bottom line was Whitney knew it was a matter of time and his survival so far was nothing more than a matter of statistical incredibility that would end soon.

Still Whitney hoped that he would stay lucky and hang on. Maybe to get a chance to take out one of the flanking parties with the M4. When he ran out of ammo for the AWM it would be just his one M4 assault rifle against over 200 AK-47s.

Distance is a snipers best friend and those flanking parties were closing the distance from behind the ridge as fast as they could.

When the flanking parties got to him it wouldn't be a sniper fight but a full auto hose down with flying grenades tossed in for good measure. So he might as well burn through the last of his .338 Lapua Ammo.

The North Korean troops from the valley floor knew now exactly where he was and they emptied mag after mag holding high into Whitney's little natural fort of rock. The bullets thunked and cracked all around him, chipping the rock face and tossing up fine dust into the air to drift down and settle on Whitney.

Whitney noticed a group of men who had worked their way to the right while he was engaging the North Korean counter sniper. He had six rounds left of .338 ammo and decided to give them a present.

Four broke to the far right at once under cover fire moving low and fast. Whitney took them down with the AWM Lapua like he was shooting skeet throwing the bolt like lightening. All four went down with two doing summersaults, none of them ever to rise again. Well, at least no one was going to try that again anytime soon.

So with only two .338 rounds left it was time to set aside the AWM Lapua and get ready for the close in work. Whitney got the M4 set up and put two magazines on each side and got ready to full auto rock n roll.

…….To be continued as Part 28: The Quarterback's Last Stand III !

PS Please review and feel free to flame.

PS This next one is the last "Quarterback's Last Stand" Post!.


	28. A Call to Arms Part 28

Part 28: The Quarterback's Last Stand III !

It really was close to being all over now. Whitney had lost all tactical advantage of hidden location and distance. He might be able to get off a few mags on full auto but the flanking teams were each a dozen strong so anything he did now was more of a last gasp delaying tactic.

Whitney expected the flankers to just crawl through the rocks and toss several grenades and that would be it. He might get lucky and kill a few of them but up close it was numbers that counted rather than the sniper's creed of 'death from afar'.

Coming down the left ridge Whitney saw the first of the North Korean flankers. With the arrival of the North Korean flankers the rain stopped. The flankers were coming in fast and low.

Totally professional and after watching the American sniper scout kill so many of their comrades they were determined to finish Whitney off.

What surprised him was that they didn't immediately go into the obvious posture of moving forward to grenade range under aggressive subversive cover fire. He only had four grenades and they would be able to pin him down so he couldn't get any leverage to throw for range. Then AK-47s from the floor of the valley fell silent.

Whitney started to get a creepy feeling about this.

Than came the surprise of Whitney's life. In halting broken English a North Korean officer called out to him: "Sniper soldier, you have many deaths today. Now finished. Surrender to the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea."

'Well, fuck a duck!', was the only thought that came to Whitney's mind. 'What the hell kind of people are those guys? I kill over eighty of their buddies and take down a helicopter and they are going to not only allow me to surrender but actually ask me?'

Whitney just couldn't believe it.

Then the realization hit him. They wanted him alive.

Regular soldiers after seeing their comrade's die by the hands of a sniper would never take him alive. Snipers in all wars are never taken prisoner by either side. All snipers that were captured got a quick battlefield execution. It had to be orders from very high up that the sniper was to be taken alive.

What the hell was going on? Then the final revelation clicked into place. It had to be Soon Ko Lee. They had to get her back and they needed him alive to get the GPS waypoints for the LZ.

That is if the EVK helicopter was going to be able to even get to the LZ to pick up Soon Ko Lee and the special opts team. If the EVK helicopter wasn't able to slip through into North Korean airspace Plan Beta was a slip across the border into China using the refugee route.

The North Koreans would need to know where on the Yalu river the special opts team was going to cross into China. Without a specific location the special opts team would just look like one of dozens of groups of starving refugees trying to get out of North Korea in the middle of the night.

Whitney knew then that surrender was not an option. Taken alive they would work on him to get the LZ GPS waypoints for tomorrow's pick up.

If the team went to plan beta it would be three days before they could get across the Yalu river into China. Whitney could do the math as well as the North Koreans. They would have three full days to work on him.

Whitney felt for the first time in the heat and adrenaline of combat chills of fear run up and down his spine.

'No way,' thought Whitney, 'I can be brave dying alone in a valley in North Korea with my AWM in my hands but not hanging from a meat hook in a torture chamber.'

A few years ago after Afghanistan Whitney had been on RnR and visited Phnom Penh on the way up to Siem Reap to see the ruins of Angkor Wat.

While in Phnom Penh Whitney went to Tuel Sleng Museum which was once a very ordinary school called Tuol Svay Prey High School. When the Khmer Rouge outlawed education the school had been converted into the infamous Security Prison 21.

It was in Tuel Sleng that the Khmer Rouge tortured endless false confessions out of ordinary Cambodian people before taking them out for execution by being hit by a shovel blade in the back of the head. Then their bodies were used the fill the killing fields of Choeung Ek.

The most unsettling thing about Tuol Sleng for Whitney was just how ordinary it looked. From the outside it looked just like any other white washed High School. That is until you notice the chicken wire nailed over the windows to prevent the prisoners from committing suicide by jumping to their deaths in between trips to the torture chambers.

Whitney remembered standing in the old classrooms of Tuel Sleng that had once been full of children learning but were converted to torture chambers.

The museum staff kept everything in Tuel Sleng the exact same way it was when found after the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime. The torture instruments of pliers, metal prods and shackles all ghastly medieval stuff were still lying on the floor of the classrooms where the torturers had dropped them to run away with the retreating Khmer Rouge as the city fell to the invading Vietnamese.

Whitney had seen the photographs on the walls of the tortured bodies of the last victims of the Khmer Rouge found shackled in those very classrooms and knew there was no way he was going to allow himself to fall to that fate.

Whitney had no choice but to make dam sure he got killed quick and fast.

A dead man can't be tortured and betray his friends and the mission. So Whitney made his decision and now he just had to come up with a way to get himself killed with a bit of style.

Just then the North Korean officer decided to go for an alternative route to convince Whitney to surrender. It should work. After all the American sniper scout is a capitalist running dog. "Sniper soldier, no die, make gold deal for surrender, we deal in gold."

'Now that was just insulting,' thought Whitney as he called out his answer. "I'm from Smallville, home of the Crows, I deal in lead". A short burst of automatic gunfire out of the M4 followed just to help make Whitney's point.

No battle plan survives the first contract with the enemy and this battle in a valley in North Korea was not any different. Having shot up two of the radios, communication was difficult for the North Korean side.

Not everyone knew about the orders to take the American sniper scout alive because in the valley of death two hands opened and the ponk-ponk of two 81 millimeter mortar shells sounded as they were dropped down the tubes. The shells climbed in an arc and then dropped to fall fifty meters from Whitney and rather close to the second flanking party. The noise of the explosion split the air and Whitney bounced off the shaking ground.

"Holy shit, well I don't have to worry about being taken alive now."

The flanking teams were screaming at the mortar crew that was a kilometer away to stop firing. Then Whitney looked through his B&L scope and saw the spotter looking at him through binoculars and then yelling adjustments to the mortar crew.

Three North Korean soldiers on the valley floor closest to the mortar crew who knew the orders to take the sniper alive and were closest started to run toward the mortar crew.

'Not so fast,' thought Whitney as he chambered the first of his last two rounds of .338 Lapua magnum shells into the AWM. Whitney held the zero and took the front runner right in the back of his neck. The foot pounds of energy transmitted by the bullet's impact in a instant into the small neck of the North Korean soldier almost tore his head off.

Taking down the second and third runners was going to take some luck. Whitney took in a deep breath and released of half of it and held the rest willing his heart rate down. He waited until the remaining runners lined up straight as a string and squeezed the AWM trigger.

A .338 bullet cracked out of the AWM Lapua for the last time. Whitney watched the wash of the bullet as it hit the third runner in the main body mass but as Whitney planned missing the spine.

The bullet went through the North Korean soldier causing an instant hydraulic shockwave in the internal organs. It tore through the chest cavity passing by the heart before making a hole the size of a well juiced orange as it burst exiting out through the chest. Now misshaped and tumbling the .338 bullet flew into the second runner finally stopping in his spine for good. Both threw up their arms and somersaulted to finish on the ground in a crumpled heap.

'Two for the price of one,' thought Whitney, 'that's body bagging with style'.

Now there was nothing for Whitney to do but wait for the mortar crew to get the bombing co-ordinates to hit his position from the spotter. In no more than two or three tries they would put two 81mm mortars on to him and there wouldn't be anything left to bury. But more important there wouldn't be any Whitney left to torture.

The rain stopped and now the sun so late in the day tried to poke through to warm up the valley of death.

Whitney thought of how he always wanted to leave Smallville but had been held in that one horse town so long by his heart captured by a doe eyed, raven haired beauty.

Now he would give almost anything to be in his truck driving down the main street to stop at the Talon and pick up Lana to go out to Crater Lake for a swim. Well, he had wanted to leave Smallville and a godforsaken valley in North Korea was just about as far away a place from Smallville that anyone could think of.

Whitney was waiting to die but instead of the plunk plunk of dropped mortar shells he heard the dull roar as two jets appeared at the far end of the valley of death.

Fuck the Calvary, Navy rules! The two carrier based F-18 Hornets came in screaming down the axis of the valley.

Whitney grabbed his small radio that he had turned off when the special opts team bugged out. Clicked it on to the air-ground mission freak and heard the crackling words, "bravo two, bravo two this is yankee twins, give position immediate over."

"Howdy! For a couple of squid pilots ain't you boys a sight. My team is on the run behind me. What is their local?"

"They are going to beta. Repeat going to beta. What is your position?"

Whitney's heart sunk. He was still toast and the team wasn't clear.

His special opts team hadn't made the LZ and were going to try to get out of North Korea on foot and then cross the Yalu River to China. If Soon Ko Lee and the special opts team couldn't be picked up there was no way to get Whitney out even if there weren't over 200 North Korean troops sitting on his personal LZ.

There was only one thing to do to make sure the North Koreans never find out the Yalu River crossing point.

"Yankee twins, I am going to drop smoke, drop smoke. Need you to put the barbecue on the smoke."

Whitney felt sick to the stomach and scared. Fire had always been his phobia. Even as a little kid. But Whitney made his decision thinking of the North Korean version of the torture chambers of Tuel Sleng. Whitney did what he had to do and pulled the pin to then drop the smoke grenade a little behind him. Whirls of blue smoke hissed out of the spinning smoke grenade rising into the thin air.

"No way bravo two, don't ask us to do that."

"Yankee twins, no choice. I'm not going any where. I'm at the head of the valley and the fort is surrounded by two hundred bad boys. Low on ammo and no where to run."

"Christ on a cracker! We are not going to unload napalm on you. No bravo two."

"Gotta yankee twins, bad boys going for a live grab. They want local beta and will work me ugly for it. You gotta put barbecue on my blue smoke."

"Goddamit bravo two, I can't."

"Gotta do it, I'm Catholic and can't frag myself……come on squid I'd do it for you."

That made the decision for yankee twins, "So am I bravo two, starting napalm run on blue smoke you're a tiger buddy, God bless."

The two F-18s banked around and set up to come in for the bombing run.

The North Korean flanking teams on the ridges and soldiers on the valley floor knew what was coming courtesy of the Navy Hornets and were scrambling away in total panic.

Whitney gave them a little smile as he stood up forgotten by North Koreans and stretched. Of course a few regrets but not all that many. He had fought the good fight and made it out of Smallville. Life had been good. Whitney stepped onto the rock where he had made the over 1000 yard shot to take out the Dragunov.

The two F-18 Hornets came in from the north through the valley that the special opts team had raced across with their jet engines screaming. They released together the long tubes of napalm that rolled through the air to Whitney's little rock fort that was now marked by blue smoke.

Whitney looked across the valley of death and said to himself. "If I was back in Smallville I bet I could sell a lot of deer rifles for the store with that story of a 1000 yard plus shot but then I would just be another Smallville 'remember him' and who the hell wants that."

Whitney stood on the rock and turned his back to the falling tubes of napalm and patiently waited to be incinerated. He never heard it but the North Korean mortar team dropped 81mm shells down tubes for the last time. The mortar shells went into a high arc and fell with the tubes of napalm. The long tubes tumbled through the air and hit the rocks a hundred yards behind Whitney. The napalm blossomed orange and a wall of jellied gasoline as hot as the sun rushed toward Whitney. The mortar shells also fell behind Whitney setting off their high explosive war heads.

The irresistible force of the napalm was about to meet the immovable object of the mortar shell's explosion and Whitney was about to find out what it felt like to fly.

The shock wave of the explosion but not the heat of the napalm hit Whitney's back and tossed him like a rag doll off the rock and out of his little stone fort. He fell crumbling onto the slope before rolling head over heels to the valley floor. Then for Whitney everything went black.

…….To be continued as Part 29: Holidays in Hell or Torture Chamber Karaoke!

PS Please review and feel free to flame.


	29. A Call to Arms Part 29

Part 29: Holidays in Hell or Torture Chamber Karaoke!

Whitney came to but immediately felt his body tell him staying passed out was the smarter option.

He had taken quite a beating all around from being sledge-hammered in the back by the combination napalm and high explosive mortar shell shockwave. Then immediately after the explosions it hadn't been the brightest idea to do the rag doll somersault routine from the top of the ridge rolling down the slope all the way to the valley floor.

Vibrations battered his body from all angles due to the chugging rotors of the Mi-24i helicopter. The pain from the vibrations told Whitney that his joints were not going to get through a yoga class for months.

Whitney had his hands tied behind his back and was lying face down in the belly of the North Korean Mi-24i chopper. Even a slight bit of movement felt like being hit by a baseball bat in the kidneys. Whitney was sure he would be pissing blood for quite a while.

But then since he didn't expect to be alive for all that long maybe that little realization wasn't all that important. Whitney turned his head to look at who was the owner of the boots in his face and saw the butt of the AK-47 a microsecond before it cracked into the side of his face. Hello stars!

It must have been a couple hours later that Whitney regained consciousness. He slowly looked up and it registered that he was in a cell. Hands shackled over his head and hanging from the ceiling by ropes. Of course, what the hell else did he except. Whitney's worst fears and personal demons were going to be released into the reality of his life in this cell.

Of course to the observant eye of a sniper one thing immediately stood out that said this was a very special cell. It was not a made of cement but cut from living rock. The air was moist and the walls sweated. Whitney knew he had to be back right where he started when they first snatched Soon Ko Lee: The forced labor camp at Chungbong coal mine.

Unlike the converted classrooms of Tuol Sleng Whitney knew he was in a purpose built torture chamber cut out of solid rock.

He heard movement outside and the huge steel door swung open and there in the doorway appeared a small man of about fifty with thinning black hair. He was escorted by two very large guards. They all looked a lot more comfortable than Whitney with unfolding situation.

The small man looked kind of pudgy with alert almost merry eyes but eyes that you just knew didn't become merry over normal things. The description of the man was completed by a North Korean colonel's uniform with the intelligence insignia on the right shoulder.

What struck Whitney about the uniform was it looked like the man had slept in it. That was the tip off that this was no ordinary man. No career officer in any third world country would be caught dead in such a disgracefully kept, rumpled uniform.

An orthodox man would never wear such a uniform so one knew immediately that this particular man was anything but orthodox. It was obvious that he was permitted his eccentricities.

It kind of surprised Whitney that the interrogation started immediately. Then again that shouldn't have been that much of a surprise since the North Koreans were on a schedule that said break the Sniper Scout in less that three days or get ready yourself interrogator to do some of your own screaming.

The Colonel reached out and lifted Whitney's chin so they could make eye contact. He spoke in perfect Southern California American English. Which only made sense since that is where he received his doctorate in psychology.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Colonel Kim. Yes I know it's kind of funny to have such a name since there are millions of Kims on the Korean peninsula. It's kind of like if your name was John Smith but then again we both know you are Whitney Fordman."

"How do you know my name?"

"First of all do you mind if I call you Whitney? I think it would make our discussions a little less formal. Now to answer your question, let's just say we know a lot about you; that is you and your mission. But of course not as much as you are going to soon be telling us."

Whitney thought about his trip to Cambodia and as a traveler standing in the torture chambers of Tuol Sleng. After that experience Whitney swore he would never allow such a thing to happen to him. He had even called down a napalm strike on his own position to dodge the torture bullet but now as fate would have it he was caged like a rat waiting for a 21st century professional throw-back to the medieval world to go to work on him.

It was at that moment that Whitney decided not to talk. Not to say anything at all. Well lets be honest here, no talking other than screaming. Whitney told himself not to give them anything. He knew if he started with just one little thing he would never be able to stop. The first surrender in a torture chamber is the last surrender. Just one little thing and then the collapse becomes total and complete. Best plan is to say nothing and play for time. Whitney knew he had to hold out for three days and the team would be clear.

Colonel Kim smiled at Whitney's silence and continued, "Whitney, let me explain what we are going to do to you. Now don't give me that look. I am not an old fashion medieval torturer. I am modern because I am going to use an acetylene torch rather than a branding iron on your back."

'Oh shit,' thought Whitney, 'Of course it had to be fire.'

"Really Whitney, you should see the look on your face right now." The Colonel smiled and continued, "So this is what is going to happen. I am going to take an acetylene torch and burn a hole in your back. The pain, well, as expected will be incredible. Most men don't last more than an few minutes."

The Colonial started to pace really getting into the mood as he politely described Whitney's fate.

"But when I look at you, the kind of man you are. I think you will be able to get through the first hole. After all Whitney you are a single man with a rifle that took on three hundred of our best soldiers. So after you get through the first hole in your back without any waiting around I am going to burn a second one right beside it."

"If you get through that hole then we will be finished for the day. But you will have all night to think about what happen tomorrow….no surprises Whitney the exact same thing happens tomorrow. It's two holes a day Whitney until you decide to talk to me. I am not an unreasonable man so it will be just two holes a day."

Colonial Kim paused for effect and then started to chuckle. "To be honest Whitney in this room I am anything but reasonable. The reason that it is just two holes a day is experience has taught me that any more than two a day makes a man's body go into shock and you will die on me. And I don't want you to die Whitney when we have so much to talk about."

The Colonial turned and started to walk toward the door saying as he went, "Now I am just going to step out for a few minutes to arrange to have the gas bottles and the torch wheeled in here and then I can get to work. While I am gone Whitney you think about what I have said, think about holes burned into your back. Don't forget at the same time think about the GPS Waypoints on the Yalu River. I won't keep you waiting so think very fast."

The Colonial stepped out the door way leaving the two guards with Whitney.

Whitney kept silent. First surrender in a torture chamber is last surrender but that didn't mean his mind wasn't racing.

Whitney talked to himself in his mind as Colonel Kim went to get his acetylene torch.

'You can hold on to it Whitney don't talk, You are so fucking tough. Oh, Christ is this going to hurt. You always thought you were too big for Smallville so now is your chance to see how big you are. Do it Whitney because you have been begging for this chance to see what you are made of your whole life. Are you are small town sports hero or are you are real hero? Are you more than all those 'remember him' Smallville sports heroes living in their pasts or are you a sniper scout in North Korea that can take getting hole burned in your back without breaking? Fuckin'a stay hard'

The Colonial came back in leading two more guards who had two big gas bottles and an acetylene torch at the end of black hoses. He gave Whitney and smile and really hoped the soft American wouldn't break before he got to have a little fun.

"Now Whitney you can either tell me now or later in between screaming." Whitney gave Colonial Kim a look that he thought was a defiant smirk but Colonial Kim had the experience to know the face of a very scared Midwestern American boy.

Colonial Kim snapped open a Zippo lighter and with a pop lit the torch.

Then true to his word Colonial Kim burned the first hole in Whitney's back.

Whitney never spoke but did a lot of screaming. That hole Whitney handled with shear guts and adrenaline. The second wouldn't be so easy.

Whitney hung whimpering like a broken child while Colonel Kim walked back and forth in front of him.

"Whitney, it's so absurd," Colonel Kim lectured him after the first hole. "What do you get by resisting? Do you think any of those generals or power point warriors in the pentagon would have stood up to that pain? You are being ridiculous; this is not an exercise in playground heroics. It's your body, your life. Whitney you are making me do this to you. I want to stop Whitney but you are being unreasonable."

Colonial Kim picked up the torch and out came the Zippo lighter. Whitney whimpering tried to move away from the torch by bending his body into a bow shape but of course there was no hope.

Colonial Kim was beginning to be very impressed with Whitney but that didn't stop him from the enjoyment of burning a second hole in his back.

Whitney got through that one by thinking of Burghardt and the special opts team. He couldn't sell them out. Not now, not after that glorious sniper fight in the valley of death.

Whitney's wrists were clamped in shackles and they were bleeding but what was really horrifying was the smell of cooked flesh. Now even though only a cannibal knows what human flesh tastes like now Whitney knew cooked human flesh has a distinct pork aroma.

On the next day Kim was true to his word. There were no surprises.

"The guards tell me you had an unpleasant night. Something about nightmares? Do you know why you didn't sleep well Whitney? It's because you are punishing yourself for the sin of being an unreasonable man. At least that is my opinion."

Colonial Kim was finding the sniper scout intriguing; in fact kind of amazing.

"Why do you make me do this to you Whitney? Here you are being an authentic American playground hero but this is not a playground with cheering friends and family who see and acknowledge your heroics. There is no one here Whitney but us. No one will ever know if you tell me the GPS waypoints. And the added benefit is that I don't burn two more holes into your back today"

Whitney just softly whimpered and cried until he heard the Zippo lighter. Then he started to lash against the shackles and tired in vane to bend away from the blue flame of the Colonial's torch.

Colonial Kim burned the third hole in Whitney's back.

Half way through Whitney's body went into convulsions and Colonial Kim had to stop and have two of the guards hold Whitney to control the shaking and twisting before finishing off the hole.

Whitney thought of the beautiful Soon Ko Lee and what Colonial Kim would do to her if they captured her crossing the Yalu river. He said nothing but only screamed and cried.

Now something unexpected started to happen to Colonial Kim. Before he had just been curious in a professional sense about what made the Sniper Scout hold out so much longer than other men. Now he was feeling for the first time not entirely in control of the situation unfolding in his torture chamber.

Colonial Kim appeared quite agitated and paced back and forth with his black boots clicking on the cell floor.

"Now Whitney, this is not a playground. It's my torture chamber. You have no audience here, Whitney, no cheerleaders or teammates or comrades in arms. So why are you doing this? Why fight the pain, alone without help, no hope of standing up to everything we do to you. It's incredible; it's quite moving; even to me. I would have cracked in the first session. I certainly would have cracked by now. You have shown me your best. No one can say you let them down now Whitney. You have three holes in your back. Are you going to force me to burn a fourth?"

Colonial Kim burned a fourth hole into the screaming man but still didn't feel that rush of total control over another human being.

What got Whitney past the incredible pain of this fourth hole was of all things Colonel Kim's lecture. It was when the Colonel said he would have cracked by now. Whitney held on to that thought and fed it his own shear vanity and stubbornness. Whitney said to himself he was not going to crack today. Maybe tomorrow but not today.

That night was an indescribable horror. The wounds were terrible but the nightmares even worse. And when morning came for Whitney the nightmare entered the waking world.

One more day. The team would be over and clear in the next eighteen hours.

The last day was when Colonel Kim got creative with the lecture. The fact was that Colonel Kim for the first time in his career in the torture chamber was scared. In his entire life he had never met anyone like Whitney Fordman. In fact in torture circles he had never even heard of anyone like Whitney Fordman.

He once had a Buddhist monk who had spent a life time in meditation of mind over matter hold out for three holes. What was the explanation for a weak Midwestern American boy still stubbornly unreasonable after four holes?

Colonial Kim knew that today he had to break the sniper scout and intercept the special opts team or the near future could hold a very unpleasant end to his career in North Korean Intelligence.

Colonial Kim gave another speech to the Quarterback before bringing in the torch. He felt he had to do this because Whitney Fordman was completely unique.

"It's not like they care Whitney. Do you really think the American people care about you? Haven't they always regarded snipers and real soldiers with contempt as working class killers? Just a shade above mercenary. Don't your own officers call you and all snipers Murder Inc. behind your back? The American people will continue to send their children to the right schools, right careers, right country clubs being rich and fat while you go the far corners of the world to die for them to enjoy such an easy life. They would never allow their children to end up with a blowtorch on their back."

Whitney hung from the ropes and listened to Colonial Kim put his Phd in physiology to work for Kim Jong Li. 'Christ did the guy know how to push buttons or what?'

"And Whitney, what about those peace marchers? Remember what Joseph Stalin called them 'useful idiots. Are they worth this pain? They have no capacity to imagine what you are undergoing. They want you to fail. The peace-marchers cry the crocodile tears over the death of American soldiers. Those peace-marchers want you to die in far away lands so they can feel self righteous about themselves and apologize to those you have fought for their freedom. Are they worth all this pain? Is anyone? Tell me the GPS waypoints. Don't make me hurt you."

Whitney hung by the ropes in the shackles and faced the wall. Hell on earth had meaning in this cell cut from living rock. Whitney could hear the metal wheels squeak against the stone floor as they brought the heavy gas bottles and acetylene torch into the cell.

Whitney could hear them adjusting the nozzle, could hear the values turn as the gas and oxygen mixed. As he smelled the gas he began to retch and gag on reflex and twist against the ropes.

Colonel Kim came around to face him. "It's here Whitney. The hour of the torch is once again here. The gas is lit Whitney and its pain is indescribable. Just a second, now watch while I adjust the flame to a nice blue."

In this last day Whitney had to put his mind else to have any chance of dulling the pain. So what he grabbed onto was what held him so long in Smallville.

Whitney played as a slow movie in his mind of his time as Lana Lang's first love in excruciating slow detail.

Whitney thought of how he fell in love with her the first time he saw her. How in just a few heart beats he fell in love with the raven haired girl. Whitney was able to drag to the front of his mind the euphoric feeling that washed over him when she first went out with him for ice cream and allowed him to hold her hand as they walked home.

Whitney replayed their make out sessions after horseback riding in the hayloft over the Potter's stables. Every detail about Lana Lang was used to keep the pain of the flame from ripping the GPS waypoints from the vault of his mind.

Slowed down to a dull heartbeat and held as a shield against the pain of the torch was memories of being out at Crater Lake when he and Lana first made love in the bed of his truck in a sleeping bag under the stars. And then every single lovemaking session after that first time was pulled from memory.

Each curve and pulse of Lana Lang's exquisite body was dragged from the recesses of Whitney's memory to dull the burning of the torch.

Whitney's head rolled idiot like on his chest while he drooled and passed into unconsciousness even as the acetylene torch cut into his flesh.

Colonial Kim finished burning the fifth hole in Whitney's back and for a brief second thought he had lost Whitney to death. But the sniper scout's body refused to give up its ghost. Now the North Koreans brought in a doctor to give Whitney a shot of antibiotics and to make sure Whitney wasn't going to die of shock. The Colonel knew even he couldn't torture the answers out of a dead man.

Colonial Kim was breaking out into a cold sweat. He knew he only had one more try to break the sniper scout. If he failed he would lose all interest in Whitney and his primary concern would become his own survival due to the escape of Soon Ko Lee from North Korea.

Whitney regained consciousness still hanging from the ropes late in the third day in his own waste. The shackles cut into his hands and his fingers looked like blue sausages.

Colonial Kim quickly came to his side and in a slightly hysterical voice said, "Dam you Whitney, the GPS waypoints, dam you, tell me. You must tell me now. The torch is working, it's ready. You are not going to make it Whitney. You're feverish, you're in great pain. You are not going to make it. I've won. It was only a matter of time. The torch is ready."

Whitney heard the pop of the flint as the Colonial lit the acetylene torch. He listened to the hissing as the gas mix was moved up and down to adjust the flame to bright blue.

Whitney by this late in this third day and having five holes in his back had given up any idea of heroism. Courage has meaning in the fresh air on the hill with a AWM Lapua in your hands facing 300 AK-47s. It is nothing hanging from ropes in shackles in a cellar facing a calm man holding an acetylene torch.

Whitney would do anything to end it on this the third and last day. He would have given up the special opts team and Soon Ko Lee to not have to face the torch. He was beaten and had nothing to hold onto but to think of the torch. He couldn't even use the love of his life Lana Lang to dull the pain.

Whitney had played all his cards, but one. The torch burned all his cards but that last one he had. Whitney fought the torch with his last weapon.

He used his game.

Whitney thought of football. He tried to keep football at the front of his brain. Whitney tried to remember what he loved best about football: the feel of the laces as he threw another perfect spiral to his receivers. The snap of the ball into his hands and the spin and fake out to then hand off to his running teammate.

Whitney pulled from his memory the exuberation that fired through his veins when late in the game he threw the long bomb into the end zone. He conjured up the nuance of every hit he had taken or given in each game. Whitney tried to picture in detail every single play he had ever learned. Writing them out in the playbook. Then he made each play come alive in his mind as he called them in each game. He felt the crunch of getting sacked and how he shrugged it off still with bells ringing just to let his team know he wasn't going to let them down and give up.

Whitney's body quivered and jerked back and forth in agony hanging from the shackles as Colonial Kim melted Whitney's flesh with the blue flame but Whitney's mind wasn't there.

So in the end it wasn't loyalty to the mission, comrades in arms, raw courage or even love. In the end it was football that beat Colonial Kim. The small town spots hero that hated being thought of as a Smallville 'remember him' beat the North Korean Colonial's torch with his game.

Whitney's mind played football while his body was cooked by Colonial Kim's acetylene torch. In the end something had to break but it wasn't Whitney's mind but his body.

Whitney's nervous system on sensory over load from the pain hit the breaker switch and pulled Whitney's body since his mind was already long gone into unconsciousness. There was nothing the Colonial could do to bring Whitney back from the darkness.

An hour later a contact in Chinese Intelligence passed a message to his North Korean counterpart that seven Americans and a Korean national female had crossed the Yalu River south of Huesan. The special opts team and the woman had been immediately taken to Kinchwan and met both Chinese and American officials. In Kinchwan they had been loaded onto a Peoples Republic Army plane and departed a short time ago.

In all likelihood it was a prearranged deal between the American and Chinese governments.

Colonel Kim walked out of the cell with Whitney's body still smoking from the torch. He was being recalled to Pyongyang to be debriefed on why the Yula river GPS waypoint co-ordinates never arrived. The American sniper scout was shot full of antibiotics and pain killers so he maybe would survive and not die from shock.

Whitney remained in a cell at Chungbong broken in body but not in spirit. He didn't need a doctor to tell him that his injuries were permanent and he would be crippled for life. No longer did Whitney have the body of a sniper scout, a Smallville Crow star quarterback or even a has-been Smallville 'remember him' athlete gone to seed working on his beer belly in the Wild Coyote bar.

Whitney was surprised to find he kept his sanity. His mind remained sharp and he could control the nightmares of those three days but in all honestly Whitney would have been happy to have died shackled and hanging from the ropes. He didn't want to face life broken and crippled in this shell of a body. The irony was that even with a whole body he didn't want to face life in this cold rat hole of a cell in North Korea.

So finally the Quarterback, Sniper Scout and Hero of the valley of death was sealed up to stay for life in a stone cell at the Chungbong forced labor camp in the North East frontier region of North Korea. Whitney was the only prisoner, well alive prisoner in the camp that was physically unable to work in the Chungbong Coal mines. The North Korean government kept him alive as a potential intelligence asset for an unpredictable future.

Soon after her escape from North Korean Soon Ko Lee immigrated to America and took a position as a lecturer in the physics department of Metropolis University. She never forgot the Sniper Scout named Whitney Fordman and what he had sacrificed in her escape from North Korea. She found out about Whitney being from Smallville from the special opts team leader Burghardt. The first free weekend she had in Metropolis she drove to Smallville to visited Mrs. Fordman to personally tell her everything she could about Whitney and his heroics in the valley of death on his last mission.

The mysterious and beautiful physics professor Soon Ko Lee fit in well in the academic world of Metropolis University and social life of the City of Metropolis. She caught the eye of every eligible bachelor in Metropolis but fell in love with a fellow academic in the mathematics faculty. They had a whirlwind romance and soon set a date for the marriage.

After seeing several of her designs in the Daily Planet style section Soon Ko Lee hired Metropolis University Law student Lana Lang to design her wedding dress. When Soon Ko Lee met Lana Lang and found out she was originally from Smallville she immediately told Lana the story of her escape from North Korean and the part her hero of the valley of death a sniper scout named Whitney Fordman played in it's success.

Lana Lang was completely stunned to find out Whitney Fordman had been alive only eight months earlier. Lana immediately drove to Smallville to confront Mrs. Fordman. What she learned there only added to the mystery.

Mrs. Fordman told her that Whitney had survived Indonesia but seeing everyone thought he was dead and knowing he had no future with Lana; Whitney decided to go into black opts for American Intelligence. Only Mrs. Fordman knew her son had been alive. So the story Soon Ko Lee had told her was true but there was more.

Just two weeks ago a man called Burghardt had come to Smallville and told Mrs. Fordman that from a North Korean defector they now knew that Whitney was alive but had been horribly tortured and permanently crippled. He even showed her on a map where the Chungbong prison camp was located. Burghardt said there was no way they could get Whitney out but he thought it only right that she knew the truth about her son.

Burghardt told her that Whitney didn't break in the torture chamber but held on so they all could safely escape across the Yula River. Burghardt asked her to never let anyone know what he had told her and then he left never to return to Smallville.

Mrs. Fordman was not an intelligence agent so couldn't help herself and had to share the secret of Whitney's fate. Lana thanked her for choosing her to tell the secret to but Mrs. Fordman shook her head. She didn't just tell Lana but told her good friend Martha Kent just yesterday when Martha saw her breakdown crying in her car parked outside the Talon. Martha had immediately got in the car to comfort her and through sobs she told Martha the truth about Whitney.

If this story couldn't get more weird to Lana then Mrs. Fordman told her that when she told Martha about Whitney; Martha got a very strange look on her face and said to her: "Don't worry Betty it just so happens that Clark is home for a few days and I will talk to him about Whitney."

Lana's head was spinning. The mysterious Clark Kent that so often haunted her thoughts for years was once again back in Smallville? And what possibly could Clark Kent do to free Whitney in prison in North Korea?

As always for Lana Lang when it came to Clark Kent he was a riddle about a mystery wrapped up in an enigma.

……………Continued as Part 31: The Calvary is from Krypton or Jailbreak!

PS I am around for three or four days before heading in country so this is the last update for a while. I will read other author's stories as a lurker but will be too busy getting set up to write anything. I will finish this story when I get back.

Cheers, Sandman


	30. A Call to Arms Part 30

Part 30: I've Been Through Smallville With a Kzin With No Name!

Martha Kent drove up the laneway to the farm already looking for Clark. She was surprised to say the least to hear Betty Fordman's revelation about Whitney. Then again considering she raised a space alien on this very farm it took more than the usual crisis to freak out Martha Kent. Of course, Martha didn't know it yet but the day was still young for freaking out.

Martha quickly parked the car and walked around the yellow picturesque farm house to the fenced in backyard. The Kent's had originally put up the tall board fence to keep small children in the neighborhood safely away from the swimming pool they put in after the emerald sale. However for Clark's visit, the fence was more in place to keep nosey eyes away from who was using the pool.

Martha quickly unlocked the gate and walked onto the backyard deck. She looked around for Clark and her guests but no one was hanging out by the side of the pool. Then hearing a ripple break the surface of the water Martha walked over to the pool and saw Puss'n'Boots doing her daily exercise of swimming lengths. Of course Puss'n'Boots was using her usual technique of holding her breath the whole way, end to end, at the bottom of the pool.

Puss'n'Boots must have noticed Martha appearing at the side of the pool and blocking out the sun so instead of doing a 100 under water flip turn she turned up and broke surface into the fresh country air.

Technically Puss'n'Boots didn't have a name but went by her job title or rank which was Combat Cadet. She could only earn a name by doing an exceptional deed in battle which when it came to Puss'n'Boots and fighting it was only a matter of time as long as she wasn't killed outright.

After hearing about the lack of a name Ryan had immediately hung the more cute handle of 'Puss'n'Boots' on the more plain 'Combat Cadet'. The two teenagers, one a senior at Smallville High and the other a Combat Cadet and had spent the last four days hanging out together enjoying a little Smallville RnR Kent style. While Clark and her father Chuut Ritt followed more grownup mature vacation pursuits of training and arguing war strategy.

Puss'n'Boots beamed a smile at Martha while Martha flinched for a second before she caught herself. The two inch razor sharp canines were still a little hard to get used to and Martha wished that Puss'n'Boots would wear a swimsuit so Ryan would have something else to look at besides her well developed breasts.

Well at least Jonathan had stopped calling her 'Cow Killer'.

That Jonathan Kent freak-out happened when he was giving Puss'n'Boots a tour of the farm when she first arrived. They had been walking through the back forty while Jonathan explained the difference between dairy cattle and beef cattle.

Puss'n'Boots had pointed over at the herd of cows and asked if those cattle were for milk or meat? Jonathan had no sooner got the word meat out of his mouth and Puss'n'Boots took off in full charge like an orange streak. In less than a second she had gutted an prize beef cow who didn't even have the time to get the surprised expression off it's face before Puss'n'Boots was licking the blood off the tips of her whiskers.

All Clark said when Jonathan complained was at least she didn't tear Shelby apart when he went into a barking fit at the sight of every dog's nightmare: A six foot talking cat stepping out of a spaceship.

"Hi Puss'n'Boots enjoying your swim?"

"Very much Mother of Clark and tell Father of Clark I will be sure to clean the pool filter so it won't clogged up again."

"Don't worry about that honey; a few hairs in the filter are a small price to pay for such a beautiful coat."

Click here for a couple pictures of Puss'n'Boots:

http/ inch pointed teeth flashed once again in the Kansas sun. Teenage girls: Kzin or Human always love a good hair day.

"Do you know where Clark is?"

"Clark and Daddy took off in the speeder to go to some place called Okinawa? I think they are going to pick up a weapon called a Hattari Hanzo Katana (samurai sword) as a present for Commander Thor-el. It's the Commander's birthday soon and Clark has been talking about getting him a special gift. After all it is a big birthday being number one thousand."

Puss'n'Boots (Kzin age like humans) briefly thought just how old one thousand sounds to a Kzin teenager that has not even earned her own name.

"Clark said they would be back for the evening meal. Is there a problem I can help you with Mother of Clark?"

Martha forgetting she is talking to a Kzin teenager very anxious to earn her name said, "No it's really too dangerous I need to speak to Clark and your father."

The wet hairs on Puss'n'Boots back went up as her bat ears twitched and then pointed straight back to finally lay flat against her head. Martha was looking right at her but of course noticed nothing out of the ordinary in Kzin body language.

"Danger? Tell me all about it. I am finished swimming and Ryan won't be home from Smallville High for a couple more hours. I would like to hear a story."

Martha smiled and walked over to pick up a towel for Puss'n'Boots as she without touching the side of pool leaped straight out onto the deck. Martha turned just as she started to shake off the water dripping on her body. Once again facing a naked Kzin female Martha thought, 'Those breasts are just too much for Ryan. I really have to get her to start wearing a swim suit."

"Come inside after you dry off and I will fix some tea for myself and some chilled cow blood for you." Puss'n'Boots flashed her canines again and Martha walked into the house thinking, 'no matter where they are from teenagers are always ready for a snack.'

Sitting at the kitchen table Puss'n'Boots tried not to gulp down her cow blood in excitement while she listened to Martha tell her about the fate of Clark's High School friend and rival for some female's affections, Whitney Fordman.

All Puss'n'Boots could think of is if she pulled this off she would be the youngest of Chuut Ritt's Cubs to earn a name. This was just too exciting an opportunity to pass up and she owed Captain Clark so much for his help in getting her assigned to his fighter wing. Every Kzin Combat Cadet dreamed of joining Clark and Thor-el's fighter wings since they always saw the most combat.

Martha went through her story of meeting Betty Fordman outside the Talon and finding out that Whitney was not dead but had been living for seven years as a black opts sniper scout doing daring rescues and heroic feats all over the world.

Martha Kent had never had a more attentive audience than a Kzin teenager with no name. When she finished the story Puss'n'Boots got up and walked over and opened one of the kitchen drawers and took out a handful of corks which she started to press onto the tips of her two inch claws.

Martha pointed at her claws, "What are you doing that for honey?"

"I am just doing it so I can use the keyboard on Ryan's computer. I will go on the internet and look for some maps to this place called Chungbong in North Korea. It may save some time and help Daddy and Clark to outline their tactical plan for the rescue of Whitney Fordman."

"That's a great idea. You are a very clever girl Puss'n' Boots. I know you will be a very successful soldier and will earn your name in no time at all." Martha Kent just marveled at how mature Puss'n'Boots was and what a delight it would be to have such a dutiful daughter.

"Don't worry about Whitney Fordman Mother of Kent, I am sure Daddy and Clark will know what to do." Puss'n'Boots then smiled and headed out to the loft to fire up Ryan's computer.

"That girl is a dream," Martha thought as she picked up the glass that was now drained of cow blood and walked over to the kitchen sink.

Things were quiet at the Kent farm until Ryan still panting from running in the laneway after being dropped off by the bus popped through the kitchen door.

He then said the same thing he had said every day since Clark and the two Kzin arrived.

"Hi Mom, where is Puss'n'Boots?"

Martha smiled and gave a little thanks to the powers that be that she didn't have to tell Ryan that Puss'n'Boots was swimming lengths naked in the bottom of the pool.

"She is working on your computer getting some stuff together for Clark and her father. By now she probably needs a break so go out and get her. Then could you two do me a big favor and walk to the back forty and find your father. Clark and Chuut Ritt should be home soon and then we can all have a nice family dinner."

"Sure, Mom" Ryan called out as he ran out to the barn and then took the steps up to the loft two at the time.

There was no Puss'n'Boots working on his computer but he noticed there was quite a bit of stuff printed off and sitting on his computer table. It was mostly reports and contour maps on of all places North Korea. Ryan's forehead wrinkled as he rolled around in his mind what could Puss'n'Boots be working on for Clark and Chuut Ritt that could involved North Korea?

Then Ryan had one of his de-javu moments and it didn't involve mind reading. He turned and saw at the end of the barn the tarp lying on the floor. That tarp should be coving up the second speeder.

'Oh shit,' thought Ryan as he gabbed the maps and rushed out of the loft.

Chuut Ritt played with the Hattari Hanzo sword while Clark landed the Weave speeder in the backyard. It was fast and larger than the other smaller speeder. It was used for as a mobile weapons platform and four person shuttle. They would use it to rendezvous with a Weave star cruiser in a couple days out in the asteroid belt.

"Would you put that thing away, it's a present and not a toy."

Chuut Ritt just growled and said, "Who would believe these humans could make such a weapon. Kzin just don't have the patience to do such impressive work."

Clark smiled and reminded him, "Also having two inch fangs and claws means you are equipped naturally for hand to hand combat. Not everyone is so lucky."

Chuut Ritt countered with, "But not so lucky as to react to a yellow star like a Son of Krypton."

"You have me there. Let's get inside I really need to spend as much time with my family as possible."

Chuut Ritt opened the canopy and stepped out to lead the way into the Kent farm house. He stopped briefly on the porch and took a quick look around. The hairs on his back went up and his ears turned back to fold flat against his head.

Clark stiffened and quickly looked around. "What is it Chuut Ritt?"

Nothing, I am just thinking of the last time I visited my den. My cubs set up a pendulum axe and almost cut me in half. Chuut Ritt eyes briefly watered as he remembered the Kzin family Kodak moment.

Click here to see a picture of Chuut Ritt's visit to the family den:

http/ just rolled his eyes and brushed past him and walked into the house.

The sight that greeted him was not the usual warmth but instead there were three pairs of eyes staring at him and both Ryan and Martha's were red.

"What happened?"

"It's Puss'n'Boots, she has taken off in the second speeder."

"Any idea where?"

Jonathan held out the printed computer maps, "It must be North Korea."

"Why would she be interested in North Korea?"

Martha's hand went up to her face and she looked guiltily at Chuut Ritt. "I am so sorry Chuut Ritt it's all my fault."

Chuut Ritt with deadly calm just said, "Tell us exactly what happened Martha. Don't be concerned about anything other than giving us the correct information. Combat Cadet made her own choice."

Martha then turned to Clark and said, "This is going to be hard to believe Clark but Whitney Fordman is still alive."

Martha then in a voice that almost broke several times told Clark and Chuut Ritt the whole story from meeting Betty Fordman outside the Talon to foolishly repeating her hopes that Clark and Chuut Ritt could rescue Whitney to Puss'n'Boots.

Clark just said, "Wow, that's a surprise. Whitney is alive and doing all these incredible things for American intelligence."

If Martha thought Clark was taking this crisis a bit too casual she didn't know about Kzin Fathers.

Chuut Ritt sprang up and roared, "That girl reminds me of me."

The Kents almost simultaneously lost control of all bodily functions which happens more than the usual on the Kent Farm.

Clark turned to Chuut Ritt and said disapprovingly, "Chuut Ritt…."

The Kzin warrior quickly seeing the concern on Clark's face said, "Of course she reminds be of you too Clark."

"That's not what I meant. We just have to be careful here since Earth hasn't made contract with other galaxy species yet. If anyone gets a photograph of her, gets a hold of the speeder or if she is captured it could turn into a real diplomatic mess."

Kzin in a very concerned but more excited father kind of way started to pace. "This Whitney Fordman sounds like a noble warrior. It is only fitting and honorable that Combat Cadet rescues him to earn her name."

He then turned to the Kent's and they got the full blast of a disgusted Kzin. It almost knocked them off their chairs. "These North Koreans should never have tortured such a Warrior. They should have been noble and allowed Whitney Fordman the honor of dueling to death."

The Kent's just exchanged looks of stunned disbelief which also really happened a lot on their farm.

Clark just to calm Chuut Ritt down about the torture said softly, "Humans are not always as noble as they should be Chuut Ritt. They are not Kzin but they are trying."

Chuut Ritt stopped pacing, "What about your parents and brother, Clark? They don't need to try but are everything that these torturers are not. The torturers are the same as the Clove and should be shown no mercy."

Clark decided to skip the discussion of pro/anti earth culture and values and steered the conversation back to the topic at hand.

"I know she is going to be angry and hurt that we interfered in her quest for a name but we have to go after Combat Cadet. Also I have to be certain that Whitney gets safely back to Smallville."

The first thought in Chuut Ritt's head was the proud Kzin father that wanted to give Combat Cadet the chance to earn her name and rescue the Earth warrior Whitney Fordman.

The second thought was finally a chance for some action after an all too calm and relaxing Kansas holiday.

Of course being Kzin the desire for action won out so Chuut Ritt just said, "Let's get going. We can catch up to her and help her if she needs it. No matter what Clark we will rescue the Earth Warrior Whitney Fordman."

Chuut Ritt then held up his hand with the two inch claws fully extended, "If we find the torturers we tear them apart, no quarter asked or given. No prisoners."

In fifty years of fighting side by side in a war that stretched across the galaxy Clark knew when to debate a Kzin and when to just go with the flow, of blood that is.

"Agreed"

In five minutes the speeder was loaded and Clark and Chuut Ritt lifted off. The yellow farm house and a very scared but hopeful Kent family disappeared from view as the Weave speeder disappeared into the night sky.

At this exact moment Lana Lang was driving through Grandville on her way to see Mrs. Fordman about Soon Ko Lee's story that Whitney Fordman died just eight months ago in North Korea.

Meanwhile in North Korean Puss'n'Boots peered over the rock and took her first look at one of mankind's evil creations: The Chungbong Forced Labor Camp.

…….To be continued as Part 31: They call me Ms Puss'n'Boots!

PS Please review and feel free to flame.


	31. A Call to Arms Part 31

Part 31: They call me Ms Puss'n'Boots

Lana Lang walked out of the Fordman's house in a complete daze. Through endless tears Betty Fordman had told her everything. Whitney was alive and Martha Kent had said Clark is back in Smallville and would save him?

At first it was just too much for the raven haired beauty to take in at once. But by the time she got to her Jeep Liberty her brain sorted it out. The conclusion was that Lana Lang was now on a mission that involved making a beeline straight out to the Kent Farm.

The last six years without Clark in her life and been just too much. Lana decided then and there that even if she had to drag Clark Kent kicking and screaming she was going to get him back into her life.

Lana started up her Jeep Liberty and did a U turn to drive through Smallville to the west side of town where Nell's house and the Kent farm were situated side by side.

As she drove down Main Street a light bulb went off in Lana's head. 'Going directly out is not the best idea! What if Clark Kent pulled another one of his famous disappearing acts before she could get him cornered?'

As much as she loved Jonathan, Martha and Ryan they would for sure be running defense to keep her from confronting Clark. Lana remembered the last time she had tried to find Clark on the farm. It was that day years ago when Clark had saved Tyson and the twins.

Both Jonathan and Martha had made sure that she didn't get the chance to see Clark. God dam it the Kents were so frustrating.

Lana's mind continued to drift back to the day of the Talon's company barbecue all those years ago. Lana remembered like yesterday the chills that ran down her spine at the finger pointing at her chest and that scary guy Thor-el's words to Clark Kent, ""She is right there, that close. This is critical. You have to leave with me now. You have no choice or she will kill you."

Lana realized then that she was not going to handle the situation today like Lana Lang but instead was going to take a page out of Chloe Sullivan's "sneaky stakeout" book.

With that in mind Lana pulled into Fordman sporting goods and ten minutes later walked out with a box under her arm holding a Bausch & Lomb Elite 60mm Spotting Scope. A specialty instrument with enough magnification for bird and wildlife observation it also could be used for spotting missing plaid clothed farm boys.

Lana wanted to be sure that Clark was at home and pin point his bombing coordinates before she snuck over to confront all that is mysterious on the Kent Farm.

Lana picked up her cell phone and called the twins who were still in classes in Smallville High. Lisa picked up and Lana started her investigative interrogation to find out what was up with Ryan. The twins would know since the only thing they ever argued about was which one of them was going to marry Ryan when they all grew up.

Lisa and Leslie sharing their cell phone and as usual they were finishing each others sentences. They told Lana that Ryan had come to school but instead of being in the great mood he had been for the whole week today he was completely out of sorts.

Then the twins went on to complain that even though he had been in a great mood he had kept blowing them off all week when they wanted to hang out with him after school. Ryan even told them that the Kent's pool was being drained so they couldn't get together after school to swim.

Lana just said she would be staying the night at Nell's house in her old room and looked forward to seeing them after school finished.

Interesting!

So Ryan was happy for the first part of the week and now was really worried?

The twins have not been allowed to visit the Kent farm all week?

Martha found out just yesterday Whitney is alive and told Betty Fordman she would tell Clark?

How could the mysterious 'missing in action' for years Clark Kent help Whitney?

Then again betting against Clark Kent when he went to the rescue was a loser every time.

That had to be the key but what could a farm boy in Kansas do to help an American soldier held in a remote prison camp in North Korea? Lana Lang as usual kept drawing a complete blank when it came to the mystery of Clark Kent.

Lana Lang thought about the irony of loving Clark Kent for years but never even getting a glimpse of understanding him.

Lana always felt a little cheated in their relationship that Clark was able to love her since he was five while she only really noticed him starting that night they happened to meet in the graveyard at the beginning of freshman year.

The irony was that was the night that Clark said he first learned of his secret. If she could have got together with him before that night then there would have been no secret between them. Oh what could have been? She really had to admit it. Lana Lang and Clark Kent had the worst timing in the world.

Chloe had once told her that during one of her attempts to emotionally batter Clark's secret out of Pete he had told Chloe what Clark said to him that day he had disappeared from her life. Pete said Clark told him that the only person that he could trust with his secret was someone like Pete who didn't need to know it to be his friend.

Well, in that context Lana, Chloe and Lex were failures as friends. Each of them in their own way had made their true friendship with Clark conditional on him telling them his secret.

Now as fate would have it; Pete, the only one that didn't need to know the secret was the only one that knew the real truth about Clark Kent.

Pete also was the only one of the gang that Clark still kept in touch with. Pete was the only one today who Clark still considered a true friend.

Maybe that was why she was cursed. Lana knew when she was honest with herself and reached down deep inside her character past her typical self righteous indignation accusations over honesty she so endlessly tossed in Clark's face she knew she didn't measure up to Clark's depth of feelings.

Lana Lang knew that Clark Kent loved her unconditionally.

Clark's love for her was complete and total while her feelings for Clark to be turned into a true romantic relationship needed to be paid for by Clark telling her his secret.

So that is her curse. She knew all of Jason's secrets but the prize at the end of the rainbow of that romantic relationship didn't come close to measuring up to having Clark Kent in her life.

Lana Lang knew it was wrong. It was a trick worthy of Lex and Chloe and something that Pete would never even think of doing to Clark but at this point her desire for answers held onto her like a drug. She needed to see Clark. She needed him cornered.

Lana Lang needed to determine where exactly Clark was on the Kent Farm. She needed to see him in the flesh and sneak up close enough to nail him before any magical disappearing act.

So fifteen minutes later Lana Lang had the B & L Sporting scope mounted on a small tripod in the window of her old room facing the Kent Farm. She looked through the lens and the Norman Rockwell beauty of the Kent farm jumped back at her at 15 times magnification.

It was open hunting season on Kansas farm boys as far as Lana Lang was concerned. She sat down in the window with a cup of tea and her contract law book to wait for the appearance of her big game trophy named Clark Kent. He was not going to get away this time.

………..Mean while in North Korea!

Whitney was surprised after eight months in a cold cell when two guards suddenly appeared to carry him out of his cell. He had lost all control of his legs due to nerve damage and general abuse.

So being dragged down the corridor digging in his toe tips along the stone floor with a North Korean guard on each arm was not the most dignified way to travel. At least he didn't feel the blood running from his toe tips from being dragged. You always have to look on the bright side of life.

It had been touch and go due to the infection in his back where Colonel Kim had left his calling card of six holes melted into human flesh by acetylene torch. Luck or lack of it had meant that Whitney pulled through the fever to defy the odds and stay alive to live out his days in a cell in the living hell of the Chungbong Forced Labor Camp.

The washed up Smallville Crow had taken some hard hits in the torture chamber but still had the fight in him.

Whitney started to get worried when instead of turning up the stairs instead they went left down to what the dammed inhabitants of Chungbong Slave Labor Camp called the corridor of screams.

For Christ's sake they couldn't be interested in torturing him again. Any intelligence he knew was eight months out of date. What was going on?

Whitney was dragged into very same room cut from living rock where Colonel Kim had worked him over in three days of screaming. After that experience for the last eight months the hell of this room still kept coming back to visit him in the form of nightmares. Everything was the same in the torture chamber as Whitney remembered it.

As if he could ever forget any of it.

And just to make it look all too familure that even included a smiling Colonel Kim calmly smoking a thin Turkish blend cigarette.

"My dear Whitney, we meet again and as usual the advantage is mine."

Whitney would have started projectile vomiting if he had any food in his stomach but little chance of that on the rations of a North Korean slave labor camp so instead he had to settle for an attack of the dry heaves.

The guards dropped him and Whitney crawled over to the wall and pulled himself up propping his back against it.

"I'm surprised that Kim Jong Li didn't take a torch to you Colonel Kim for losing Soon Ko Lee to the Americans."

"He almost did but I was allowed to keep my skin even though the price was high. I have lost my comfortable office in Pyongyang and access to my favorite cigarettes," the colonel waved the Turkish blend toward Whitney to make his point.

"The fact is I lost everything because of a very unreasonable man from some Midwestern town called Smallville. So now I find myself assigned to this hellhole of Chungbong for the rest of my career."

Whitney raised his hand and brushed the long dirty matted blond hair out of his face. "I never thought I would say this Colonel Kim but speaking with you today has warmed my heart."

Colonel Kim dropped the cigarette and crushed it with the heel of his boot. The sign of things to come in this room. He turned and his eyes narrowed and with a cold chill he said, "In truth Whitney I am going to warm up more than just your heart."

Whitney's eyes bugged out for a second as he realized what the Colonel meant. Then he grabbed a hold of himself and started the verbal counter attack. "Pretty funny Colonel but you don't have any questions to ask me. I know nothing of any value."

Colonel Kim leaned forward and softy said, "Who said anything about asking you questions?"

Whitney just didn't get it. What was going on?

Colonel Kim turned and started to pace in front of Whitney. "The question I want answered is not one that will be answered by something out of your mouth. It will be answered by that broken body of yours."

Colonel Kim stopped and pointed with barely concealed rage a shaking gloved hand at Whitney. "You put me here. Away from my comfortable life in Pyongyang. So I want both an answer and revenge and I have a way to get both."

The Colonel being the consummate showman paused for effect before the dramatic finish. "I want to know how many days Whitney Fordman will live if I burn two holes in him each day?"

Colonel Kim stopped and smiled at Whitney, "The torch is my perfect solution where revenge and professional research come together."

For Whitney once again his nightmare had entered the light of the waking day.

The creaking of the wheels announced the trolley with the two large gas bottles for the acetylene torch was entering the torture chamber. Whitney on reflex tried to crawl to the far corner away from the bottles of gas and the torch.

The guards were on him in a flash and they quickly shackled him in and with the ropes hoisted him up. Whitney's useless legs hung down and he tried to pull with his arms his whole body up and away from the torch. It would have been tough for an athlete but for the broken body of the Quarterback the attempt to climb with arms shacked rung of illogical desperation.

The colonel flipped open the familiar Zippo lighter and in a peacock's display of elegant style lit a fresh cigarette hanging in his lip and a second latter with a little pop the acetylene torch.

"The hour of the torch is once again upon you Whitney. And what makes this session with the torch so unique is I am not going to ask you a single question."

Whitney was just hanging there but kept trying to stand on his useless legs. If he was going to die by fire he really wanted to do it standing.

The torch was coming forward when a blur of orange streaked across the small room. A flash of two inch claws sent the first guard's throat flying followed a split second later by a quart of blood splashing on the wall.

With his AK-47 the second guard tried to lock a bead onto the wave of orange, claws and teeth rushing at him but he was bowelled over to crash against the wall. The last thing the guard remembered was a crushing pressure on his chest and then the sharp crack of his spine breaking like a dry twig.

Colonel Kim turned to see both guards down and a six foot tiger smiling at him wearing so very well a stylish jump suit. Then again it takes experience to tell a smile from a frown when it comes to Kzin females.

Colonel Kim reacted instinctively and swung his right arm in front of him to bring the blue flame of the acetylene torch into the face of the standing tiger.

Colonel Kim was surprised to feel his shoulder move but the torch in his hand did not. He turned and looked at his arm. Yes, there was his hand still holding the burning torch. The problem was his hand was lying on the ground holding the torch at one end of his arm while at the other end was not the rest of his body but a bloody stump.

Whitney from doing thousands of hanging leg raises before his body was broken in this very torture chamber contacted his abs and brought his useless legs for walking but still good for clubbing a sadistic North Korean Colonel into action.

Whitney's legs hit Colonel Kim's bloody stump hanging off his shoulder where his right arm was recently attached. The colonel screamed in pain and fell sobbing to the floor.

Puss'n'Boots jump high and simultaneously claws flashed again and the ropes holding Whitney up separated and he fell to the floor.

The shackles were still on Whitney's hands but their weight was not going to stop him. In a split second Whitney had his hands around the Colonel Kim's throat and smiled as his two thumbs ended up poised over the Colonel's Adam's apple.

Colonel Kim panted and looked up to see Whitney's eye's staring at him like chunks of ice. He said just one word to the Quarterback, "Mercy".

"Sorry Colonel, someone burned all the mercy out of me."

Whitney had dreamed many times of taking the acetylene torch to the Colonel but in the end he knew it just wasn't his style. So Whitney pressed both thumbs in and ripped through to crush the Colonel's windpipe. The Colonels legs jerked and twitched a few times and then he was gone.

Whitney rolled over off the Colonel and leaning to the side on his elbow took his the first good look at the only other being that was alive in the room. He didn't know if he was dreaming, hallucinating or had finally lost his mind.

It was a six foot tiger standing upright in a tight jump suit that showed off a truly magnificent rack.

"Are you real or just playing around in my head?"

"Whitney Fordman I presume?"

For the first time in eight months Whitney had a spontaneous laugh, "Yea, that's me."

"I am Combat Cadet of the Kzin. I have come to rescue Whitney Fordman of Smallville."

Whitney rolled that revelation around in his cerebellum for a second. He was in a cell in North Korea with no use of his legs and just had the pleasure of killing Colonel Kim with his bare hands.

All in all as days in the last eight months went this was a real red feather day. So Whitney decided to dump the logic and just go with it.

So Whitney smiled at Puss'n'Boots and said, "Works for me."

Whitney pointed over to one of the AK-47s and said, "Could you hand me that please and the pouch with the extra magazine clips beside it. If you can help me up the stairs at the end of the corridor I can take out the tower and hold the other guards off with the AK-47 while you scoot around the building and get over the wire fence."

"The way you move I am sure you can do it. I would like to go with you but I can't walk but at least now I can go down shooting."

Puss'n'Boots said, "No, I must bring you with me. I am strong in this gravity and can carry you."

"Listen pussy cat you move like a T-Rex on steroids but I don't think we have a chance unless we have some cover fire. I can't walk so am the obvious choice to be on the AK-47 holding the bridge. Its ok believe me. After killing Colonel Kim there is nothing that can ruin this day for me and that includes dying. Besides it's just my style."

Puss'n'Boots was getting rattled. She knew she had to get the Earth Warrior out. No warrior should have to die in such a place as this.

She started to look at the practical aspect of their current dilemma. "I can carry you Whitney Fordman but need my hands free to climb the fence. How can we do that?"

Whitney was beginning to feel weird arguing with a talking tiger with great tits so pointed to the ropes on the floor of the cell that recently were used to hang him up. Puss'nBoots quickly passed them over to him and then quickly slipped over to the door to look down the corridor and check for any guards.

Whitney thought, 'Thank God I was an eagle scout' as he quickly tied the ropes into a combination backpack swing.

Puss'n'Boots was surprised at his quick work but then very pleased.

Moments later Puss'n'Boots with a rope slung around each shoulder and Whitney on her back piggy back style with ropes looped around each of his thighs and lower back crept down the corridor and up the stair. Whitney had his left arm around her neck and fought the urge to cop a feel. The AK-47 was in his right hand locked and loaded with the pouch of spare mags hanging around his neck.

"Whitney leaned forward and whispered in Puss'n'Boots pointed ear, "If I open up this is going to be pretty loud right beside your head so sorry in advance."

"Just make sure you kill them and I will live in the noise."

"A tiger girl after my own heart."

They broke from the entrance to Block H home of the corridor of screams and set a bee line to the fence. Puss'n'Boots was rocketing toward the wire fence and even with Whitney on her back was running like a world class sprinter.

Whitney saw movement in his peripheral vision to the right and swung the AK-47 into action. Only an expert sniper while bouncing on a Kzin teenager's back could unload a five round burst off hand style and take out the two North Korean guards running toward them.

Puss'n'Boots took the wire completely in the air and was up and over like lightening. Whitney almost lost the AK-47 when she levered one handed over the top of the barbed wire but hung on to see dozens of guards running toward the sound of his gunfire.

Now they had two hundred meters of kill zone cleared around Chungbong Slave Labor Camp to cover before they could find some rock cover. Even for a Kzin running at full speed it was going to be long odds.

Whitney yelled, "Do you have a ride waiting or do we hump out of here?" Whitney prayed that a whole brigade of magical tiger troops were waiting to save their ass in this dream but somehow guessed with his luck the more likely scenario was tiger girl was on a solo gig.

Puss'n'Boots told Whitney in halting gasps that her speeder was a couple miles from the camp. She really hadn't expected to be spotted since she had done so well in her camouflage and clandestine movement classes or she would have been set up for a quick getaway.

New rule: Never underestimate the brainwashed North Koreans!

Whitney realized that without some covering fire they were toast. When he told Puss'n'Boots she just flipped him over to her front and then in a kind of bear hug looking over her shoulder behind them Whitney was set up to start to squeeze off short AK-47 bursts.

The North Korean guards scattered looking for cover and it gave Puss'n'Boots a few valuable seconds free of bullets whizzing around them to pull closer to the waiting rocks.

When she was about twenty feet from the rocks Puss'n'Boots jumped and they went crashing together to solid cover.

"Christ you are strong and fast but I don't see how you can get me up that ridge. It's been a great run and I am over the wire so can die a free man. It's a long way up that hill running from rock to rock so get moving and I will tie them up as long as I have ammo."

"No, I promised I would get you out."

Whitney turned around and pointed at the North Korean slave Labor Camp.

"Listen tiger girl I am out."

"I am Kzin and will do this; just trust me."

Whitney gave up and decided to run with the dream giving that it had huge intelligent eyes, nice warm orange hair and a magnificent pair of breasts jammed into a tight jump suit.

Puss'n'Boots quickly flipped Whitney from the front bear hug position back into his original position piggy back.

Whitney ejected the empty clip and slammed a second one in. He flipped the selector switch on the AK-47 receiver to semi auto for the dash up the hill. It was unrealistic to expect to shoot accurate bursts bouncing around on a tiger ride but he could shoot singles off hand with ease.

Puss'n'Boots took a few deep breaths and then they burst from cover and started their hill charge to the safety of the ridge. Whitney tried to cover her vitals with his body while bullets stung the rocks around them. He twisted back and holding on to Puss'n'Boots with his left arm and stretched out his right with the AK-47 to squeeze off rounds.

Whitney couldn't believe how fast Puss'n'Boots was moving up the hill. She alternated between running and dropping on all fours to eat up the hillside in a combination crawl sprint.

Even with dozens of guards pouring out of the camp and running toward them Whitney if he had to bet would go for they were going to catch the caboose on the train out of Dodge.

They just broke the ridge when Puss'n'Boots let loose a low snarl and said something that sounded like a cat caught in a tree.

Whitney looked forward over her shoulder to where their escape route lay and felt a lump in his throat. They must have got a radio message about the break out because there was a large North Korean troop convoy now stopped on the lower road. Full brigade strength and they were setting up mortar crews and probing parties broke away from the main group to start toward the ridge.

Whitney and Puss'n'Boots were caught in a pincer movement between the convoy troops on one side and the Chungbong camp guards on the other.

"Put me down."

The Kzin teenager still panting hard slung him down to the ground.

"This doesn't look good at all. I am really sorry about you coming after me and then ending up in this mess."

"It was my choice. I heard about you and thought I could do this myself. It is my fault you are not free right now."

Whitney thought this whole deal look disturbingly familiar to a situation eight months ago except without the advantage of having use of his legs, hidden position and his AWM .338 Lapua Magnum sniper rifle.

The 120mm mortars being set up beside the now stationary convey were going to blow them to hell.

Whitney knew he could have killed quite a few of them if he had his beloved sniper rifle but even though it's hell of a weapon when the objective is clean every fucker out of a room the AK-47 is just not the ticket out of town in this situation.

The 120mm Mortars and two small field pieces open up their first barrage aimed at the ridge to get the range. In seconds it felt like a minor earth quake had hit the ridge. Both Whitney and Puss'n'Boots bounced off the ground that was heaving with the shock waves of high explosives let loose.

Whitney cupping his hands around his mouth leaned over to Puss'n'Boots.

"This is it. Thanks for the try. I am happy to die free…..but what is your name?"

Her ivory white canines flashed as Puss'n'Boots yelled back, "That is partly what this trip is about. You see I don't have a name yet."

Whitney really didn't understand anything she said but just gave her a nice smile and put his arm around her and waited for the next barrage to finish them.

However fate had other plans for the Kzin girl and the sniper scout.

It started as a low hum and then sound waves like cracking thunder and lightening ripped through the air. Everyone on both sides of the ridge looked up as Puss'n'Boots jumped up and started waving.

The second weave speeder appeared high over the convey moving towards them.

"Get up; get up here is our ride."

"I can't get up I am crippled."

Puss'n'Boots just roared and grabbed Whitney around the waist and lifted him up with her left hand.

Clark yelled to Chuut Ritt that he had a Kzin bio signature on the ridge between the convoy and the Chungbong Slave Labor camp. Chuut Ritt powered up the belly gun port and growled at Clark to just come in fast and low and the leave the energy shields down.

Chuut Ritt wanted his favorite cub Combat Cadet to have to jump for the speeder. It was Chuut Ritt's version of Kzin tough love in the flesh. He was going to be sure that Combat Cadet was going to have to work or at least make a hell of a jump for her name.

Clark brought the speeder in low and hot while Chuut Ritt worked over the convey. From the belly gun port bright red streaks of energy bolts ripped men and equipment apart. The North Koreans never knew what hit them and in seconds men melted into puddles of blood and flesh.

Puss'n'Boots timed it perfectly and with Whitney still holding the AK-47 leaped up with him as only a Kzin can to catch the forward edge of the starboard wing as the speeder roared over the ridge.

Hanging below the wing from one hand she then swung Whitney around and used his momentum to pull her over the front edge of the wing to now squat on the top of the wing. They both were being buffeted something fierce by the slipstream wind.

The Weave speeder then took an artillery shell from a 90 mm field piece directly into its underbelly giving Chuut Ritt a bit of a surprise but he shook it off and kept giving the North Korean convoy a good dusting. Any flying device made on earth would have burst into flames on the spot but this was a weave speeder from another world.

The speeder just shrugged off the explosive shock wave but Puss'n'Boots couldn't. Her left hand was holding Whitney behind her while the right was holding on to the front edge of the wing by just two of her claws. If she lost her hold they would be swept off the wing and fall in seconds to their death.

Whitney just rock n rolling the North Koreans with the AK-47 while Puss'n'Boots looked at her hold on the forward edge of the wing as it started to give way and in true Kzin female fashion thought 'Dam! I just did my nails'.

Her hold broke and they started to slide down the wing. Then just as they were going to go off the end the canopy burst open and a huge paw came flying out to grab Puss'n'Boots.

Whitney turned to see the face of the biggest and scariest tiger flash huge white pointed teeth as he pulled them into the cockpit.

Click here for a picture of Chuut Ritt to get an idea of what Whitney was looking at:

http/ a split second later they were inside and the cockpit closed. Then the valley of tears that was home to the Chungbong Slave Labor camp disappeared behind them.

Whitney was having a little more trouble going with the flow of this day dream since there were now two tigers wearing jump suits and the second one was twice as big as the first and didn't look so refreshingly feminine.

Then the pilot turned towards him and for the first time and Whitney saw he was human.

Well, actually later Whitney found out regarding the pilot he was wrong about the human part.

Under the Weave fighter pilot helmet Whitney saw a familiar face from his past that both saved his life and haunted his relationship with Lana Lang in his senior year at Smallville High. This was one fucked up dream. It just couldn't be him.

But then the face broke into the unmistakable Kent grin and Clark gave Whitney a thumbs up and said to him as clear as day, "Go Crows!"

Whitney started to laugh hysterically as his brain went into a "too freaking much" loop.

Clark kept smiling like a maniac and said, "Hey Whitney, welcome to my world."

Whitney tried to mentally pull himself back to the light, "Fuck man, Clark Kent is this real or am I going to wake up in a torture chamber screaming with an acetylene torch melting a hole in my back?"

Clark pointed a thumb to the back at Puss'n'Boots and Chuut Ritt, "It's as real as real gets when you hang out with these two."

"Ya about that; like what the hell is the story with the tigers in jump suits that keep saving my ass?"

"They are friends of mine. In fact comrades in arms. They are Kzin from a planet that orbits Star 61 in Ursae Major."

Whitney shook his head and tried to get reality back in focus. "Space aliens? You mean I am in a space ship with two Space aliens?"

Clark turned to Whitney, "Actually you are in a Weave speeder with three Space Aliens." He then gave Whitney a wink.

"You Kent? You gotta be bullshitting me."

"No, guilty as charged."

Clark looked over at Whitney. The smalltown sports hero's body was shattered but the washed up Smallville Crow still held the now empty AK-47 in a death grip. Whitney had the good fight still in him in spades and it shown through the thanks on his face of swollen slits of haunted eyes and a smile of shattered teeth broken by the boots of Chungbong Prison Guards.

In the back seat Chuut Ritt and Combat Cadet purred in each others embrace. Chuut Ritt told her that she had earned her name as he scratched behind her ears.

Combat Cadet got a little wistful for a moment and then told her father that she had decided to break tradition and go with the name Ryan hung on her a couple minutes after they met.

Chuut Ritt roared in laughter which sounded like a Viking berserker's war cry. It kind of freaked out Whitney for a second.

The Kzin Warrior asked Combat Cadet if she didn't want to go for a more traditional name like Chiir-Nig, Raargh or Vaemar but now as she always would in the future no matter what the odds Puss'n'Boots stuck to her guns.

So the Kzin teenager after pulling off the rescue of Sniper Scout Whitney Fordman from the Valley of Tears in North Korea earned her name of choice: Puss'n'Boots.

Years later, as they walked together across the flight deck of a Weave star cruiser Whitney confided in her that he saw her as a Puss'n'Boots from the first second he laid eyes on her. Puss'n'Boots just purred at him and asked Whitney to scratch behind her ears before she had to put on her helmet and climbed into her Weave attack fighter to once again go into battle for the galaxy.

After having six holes burned into your back by a sadistic North Korean Colonel you learn to take whatever life tosses at you pretty easily and that includes Space Aliens. So today, Whitney just turned back from the contented Kzin father and daughter and asked Clark, "Where are we going?"

"To Smallville, you can see Mrs. Fordman and I will fill you in on the whole story."

Whitney got a tight look on his face. "Clark I would like to see my mother but I can't go back to Smallville. I mean look at me. I am busted up and can never be anything again. The only thing worse than being a Smallville 'remember him' sports hero is being the broken down war veteran pitied and stared at in the street. I will see my mother but want to make it quick and quiet. No one else in Smallville needs to know I am back for a visit or even alive."

Clark grinned and said, "Well that is exactly the kind of visit I was planning. After all I don't think Smallville is ready for space ships and aliens. Besides I booked a doctor's appointment for you."

"Oh Christ Clark, just look at me. I am beyond any doctor's help."

"No, just beyond any doctor's help on earth."

Whitney started to laugh. "You better not be bullshitting me Kent."

"Don't worry she has brought far worst cases than you back to 100. I do have to warn you that her appearance is kind of disconcerting at first."

Whitney just snorted, "Don't worry about that Clark. If she can put this Smallville humpty dumpy back together she will be my vote for Miss America."

"Ok, but just so you are ready she looks kind of like a large air breathing octopus holding high tech medical instruments and wearing a gravity belt."

"Whitney just leaned back into the speeder's chair and said, "If she can sew this sniper scout together then she belongs on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swim Suit issue."

Clark just smiled and Whitney drifted off to slumberland as the Weave speeder banked off to starboard to pick up Puss'n'Boot's speeder before disappearing into the night on a course to Smallville.

To be continued as Part 32: Private Eye Lana Lang on Kent Farm Stakeout or Holy Shit there is a Tiger wearing a String Bikini in the Pool!


	32. A Call to Arms Part 32

Part 32: Private Eye Lana Lang on Kent Farm Stakeout or Holy Shit there is a Tiger wearing a String Bikini in the Pool!

Lana sat in her room peering into the Bausch & Lomb Elite Sporting scope that was trained on the Kent farm. The day and turned into evening and there had never been a second that an eye from the Potter house had not been observing the Kent's farmhouse.

Lana called Jason to let him know that she was staying in Smallville for the weekend. When giving him the news Lana was expecting at minimum quite a bit of tension and maybe even a fight.

So she was pleasantly surprised but also a little hurt at his indifference when Jason just said have a good time with the twins and have fun giving Donatello a real workout.

So far there had been nothing unusual going on at the Kent's. As expected there had been the usual perfect Kent family dinner.

After eating Jonathan and Ryan did the dishes while Martha sat at the Kitchen table and interrogated her men about their respective days at work and school.

Then Jonathan and Martha had retired to the living room to watch TV and make out on the couch. Ryan must have decided that watching his parents make out on the couch was not suitable for staying a well adjusted teenager so he had had gone out to the barn and the light was on in the loft.

Everything so far that evening on the Kent farm pointed to a postcard perfect Kent family Friday night.

But of course not all was what it seemed. Like where the hell was the elusive Clark Kent?

Over at 'Snoop Central' Lana Lang's old bedroom Lana was not on stake out by herself but had two enthusiastic accomplices in the form of the twins, Lisa and Leslie.

When the twins got home from Smallville High with it being a Friday they had wanted to go out with Ryan to see a movie or go over to the park for roller blading but once again Ryan just snapped at them and blew them off.

The two girls had come in pretty mad at Ryan but happy that their favorite Aunt Lana was sleeping over for the weekend. So then and there the twins decided to have a slumber party in Lana's room.

Of course they didn't know it at first but it was going to be a slumber party sharing stake out shifts staring down a B&L sporting scope set at 15X magnification watching the Kent family's Friday night on the farm.

Lana decided to take the twins into her confidence after they had told her their suspicions about how Ryan was behaving. The twins first suspected that something was going on at the Kent farm when no one showed up to work all week on the pool that was supposed to be drained for repairs.

The Kents had not left the farm all week with Jonathan working on site and only Martha leaving to go in to the talon's office for an hour in the morning to look at the books.

Lana knew that yesterday morning was when Betty Fordman had been spotted having an emotional breakdown outside the Talon by Martha Kent.

It was because of that fateful meeting that Lana had found out from Betty Fordman the critical information that Whitney was alive and the mysterious Clark Kent was visiting the farm.

Over the last couple hours Lana had told the story of Clark Kent the flannel hero of Smallville High in detail to the twin girls.

Lana told them the tale of every one of her rescues by the mysterious Clark Kent from him finding her in the crypt buried by Tina Greer to memories of Clark being in the truck during the tornado to the two rescues from Emily Dinsmore in the river and then the gas chamber.

Lana pulled out every memory of Clark Kent's heroics and spelled them out in detail to the two enraptured girls.

The twins were a critical audience and asked Lana dozens of probing questions about every rescue, accident, meteor related freak etc that had happened during her High School years.

It was because of the twin's questions that Lana realized that Clark Kent was even more mysterious than she remembered or had suspected at the time.

Endlessly time and time again Clark always found her and Chloe whenever they were in trouble. Always it seemed that he could be in several places at once.

Clark was always surrounded by the unexplained from the claims of frat boys of being tossed thirty feet to Clark catching bullets in his hands.

Even the ordinary things about Clark Kent didn't add up. Lana knew from Clark himself that he had fallen in love with her when he was five years old.

Then several times during grade school Lana had made overtures of friendship to Clark but every time she approached him he practically turned and ran away.

In grade five when they were assigned desks beside each other he had complained to the teacher with some lame excuse and had got moved to the other side of the room. At the time Lana had felt pretty hurt that the tall cute farm boy didn't like her.

In fact when she thought back about it all through school until freshman year at Smallville High Clark had avoided her like the plague. Hardly the usual behavior of a boy that was supposed to have had a big crush on her since kindergarten.

Then everything changed after that first real intimate conversation they had in the graveyard. When Lana thought back to that night she was sure that Clark had been crying. He had been very upset that night and it had to be about learning his secret.

If she hadn't been so centered on talking to him about her parents that night maybe he would have told her then and there.

The only people that could have been keeping a secret from Clark about himself were his parents. Lana knew no parents loved their son more than the Kents so they would never upset Clark without good reason.

The only thing that was unique about Clark at the time was that he was adopted. The secret had to be about Clark's birth parents. Maybe the Kent's told Clark something upsetting about his birth parents?

Lana knew from experience comforting a scared and crying Chloe just how upset Clark got with Chloe when she looked into his adoption. Clark was hyper sensitive about his origins.

Was Clark afraid Chloe would uncover something about his adopted parents and thus expose some secret to the world?

When she looked back Lana Lang knew that she should have been the one that took the heat from Clark over Chloe looking into his adoption. Chloe had been in love with Clark at the time and it gave him the power to threaten to end their friendship it Chloe didn't back off.

Lana knew that Clark was too in love with her to ever use the same threat of ending a friendship against Lana Lang.

If she would have ran interference for Chloe maybe they could have cracked the secret of Clark Kent back at Smallville High. Maybe with the secret out Clark wouldn't have felt that he had the leave when his scary Uncle Thor-el suddenly appeared that day of the Talon barbecue at Lex's mansion all those years ago.

The twins were getting a little tired of stakeout duty since they couldn't see their target of choice Ryan in the loft but they were hanging in to see if they could see him taking his shower before bed. The twins felt this purchase of a B & L spotting scope was a pretty good idea for their favorite pastime of staking Ryan Kent.

Leslie was on observation duty when Lana was going through the story of how Clark rescued her and a friend from cheerleading from a burning house when Leslie gave a little yelp. Leslie turned as white as a ghost and then took her eye off the scope to rub it and then look again.

Lana and Lisa jumped up from the bed, "What is it Leslie?"

"I don't know. I must have imagined it."

"What?"

"It looked like something landed in the backyard by the Kent's pool but I can't see it now because of their high board fence. It was really big but I only saw it for a moment"

"What was it? A helicopter?"

"It was that big but then again I don't even know if it was anything at all. It couldn't be a helicopter because there was no engine sound and it was so fast it looked like it was falling."

"What do you mean? Falling like a meteor?"

"Yea, like falling really fast, faster than a helicopter moves and could land but if it was really something falling there would be a huge impact. I must have imagined it."

Lana scurried over to the window and the crouching Leslie looking down the B&L scope. She touched Leslie's shoulder and said, "Let me take a look honey."

Lana started to scan the tall cedar board fence that enclosed the Kent's backyard and pool area. "I can't see anything but something must have happened because the backyard light is now on and the lights around the pool just came on. Also I think the Kent's have left the living room. They must be going to the back of the house to go into the backyard."

Lana's interest was now piqued and she was glued to the scope.

Lisa ran down the stairs to grab the old binoculars on the mantle over the fireplace and then rushed back up to Lana's room. While Lana manned the B&L scope each twin shared the binoculars with each putting only one eye on a binocular eye piece.

There was definitely something in the Kent's backyard. That became blatantly obvious when Ryan came running out of the barn and went across the barnyard to enter the pool area through the outside gate. They couldn't see Ryan since the outside gate was on the other side of the house but there was no where else he could have been heading.

Lana started to feel a nibble on the line of a six foot three plaid & flannel fish.

Through the B&L sporting scope Lana watched the the front door of the Kent's yellow farm house open and onto the porch walked Jonathan and Martha closely followed by Ryan.

Then through the lens appeared a tall figure wearing a hooded squall jacket over a black jump suit. Lana could just see part of a large white design on the chest of the black jump suit but she was sure it was the same skull design that Clark's Uncle Thor-el had on his chest the day Clark disappeared all those years ago.

Lana Lang's hair rose on the back of her neck and goose bumps started to appear all over her body.

After six long years Lana Lang had her first look at Clark Kent. She still couldn't see his face due to the jacket hood but Clark had his arm around Ryan and was standing in the shadows of the front porch talking with his parents who had sat down on the hanging swing love seat.

Lana sprang up from the B&L spotting scope, "Lisa use the scope to keep a watch on Clark and Ryan. Tell me everything they do while I change."

Lana started to pull on her black Helly Hassen running tights and jumper while Lisa kept up a running commentary on the Kent's while Leslie on the binoculars filled in any pauses.

"It looks like Clark is telling the Kents a story. He has his back to us now and is moving his arms around while the Kent's listen. Boy, it is an exciting story because Mr. and Mrs. Kent looked petrified while Ryan is starting to get into it and is bouncing around the porch."

Lana finished off her little night ninja look by pulling her hair back into a ponytail. She then picked up the shopping bag from Forman Sporting Goods and took out a Pelican MityMag Flashlight (torch to all you exSAS mercs).

If all went according to plan this very light will be shinning in Clark Kent's face in less than ten minutes.

Lisa kept up with the updates, "The story must be finished because the Kents have stood up and have given Clark Kent a hug each. They are sitting back down on the porch loveseat swing while Ryan and Clark are now walking over to the barn. They must be going up to the loft."

Twenty seconds later Lisa confirmed a small light had appeared in the loft.

Lana turned to the twins, "I am going to sneak over to the loft and corner Clark and Ryan."

The twins started to squeal that they wanted to go to so Lana said, "Ok, but give me five minutes to get into position. I am going to sneak into the barn and you guys sneak up to the porch and say hi to Jonathan and Martha. Just be as quiet as possible and just appear on the porch. Then apologize for startling them. Just say you are looking for Ryan. I want you guys to watch the barn in case Clark somehow slips past me. You have no idea how hard it is to keep tabs on that guy."

The twins with eyes as big as saucers (flying saucers that is) just shook their heads in understanding.

Lana then turned and went down stairs and slipped out the front door. It was pretty easy creeping across the road and then through the single field that separated the Kent farm house from the road.

Lana stayed in the shadows and looped around the house stealthy making her way along side the tall board fence that blocked any observation of the pool area from the outside.

She then slipped across the farm yard that separated the house from the barn. As she crept under the window to the loft she could hear voices but not make out what was being said.

The twins took the same route as Lana across the road and through the field but instead of looping around the backside of the house they went around to the porch where they could hear Jonathan and Martha quietly talking.

Lisa and Leslie watched Lana creep under the loft window and then into to the barn. They then looked at each other and after taking in a deep breath stepped out of the shadows to reveal themselves to the Kent's.

"Hi Mr and Mrs Kent"

Jonathan and Martha both jumped up at the appearance of the twins out of thin air but Martha quickly recovered. "Hi girls, you kind of startled us. What are you guys doing over here?"

"We just came over to ask Ryan if he wants to go riding with us. Aunt Lana is visiting for the weekend and we are all going riding tomorrow."

Martha quickly took this information in and replied, "Well I am sure that Ryan would love to go riding tomorrow but he is a little busy now and it's getting kind of late so you guys should get home before anyone starts to worry about you."

"Oh, Mrs Kent it's not a school night and Mom and Dad went to Grandville for the evening so can we see Ryan?"

Jonathan decided to jump in and play the bad guy with a white lie of his own. "Not tonight girls Martha didn't want to say anything but Ryan and I had a little run in and he is grounded for the night but its lifted tomorrow morning so you guys can all go riding together then."

Meanwhile in the barn a few heartbeats later Lana Lang was through the door and at the bottom of the steps up to the loft. Lana held the Pelican MityMag Flashlight in her right hand while her left hand was already in position to twist it on.

Lana started to creep up the stairs being very careful to avoid the seventh step that always did squeak.

She stopped for a second bending down while going up two more steps. Then Lana straightened her legs and peered over the floor to look up into the loft.

There after a long six year wait with her heart in her thoat Lana Lang looked at Clark Kent.

Ryan had his back to her and was standing in front of Clark talking to him while Clark sat in the window of the loft. Ryan was between them but she could still see Clark's head.

Even sitting down he was so very tall. His hood was still up and he was out lined by the moonlight from the bright full moon behind him so she couldn't see his face.

Well, that was going to change in a second. Lana Lang with an expression of extreme satisfaction on her face twisted her flashlight on and shined it directly into the face of the tall figure at the same time saying, "Hello Clark, it's been six long years."

Lana Lang was surprised to say the least to see a face with no sparking eyes, dark curls or a charm blast from the Kent smile but instead her flashlight revealed a face of orange fur, two inch fangs and two large glowing yellow eyes staring back at her.

A second later on the porch the twins and Jonathan and Martha heard Lana's high pitched scream as it cut through the air.

Lana Lang was lucky that Puss'n'Boots was a trained combat soldier and it took a lot to startle her. On another planet Lana would have had her throat ripped open before she finished the scream but here on earth Puss'n'Boots knew Clark's orders to avoid any contact with humans that wasn't absolutely necessary.

Ryan quickly stepped between Puss'n'Boots and Lana and shot one word over his shoulder at Puss'n'Boots.

"Run"

Moving only as a Kzin can Puss'n'Boots turned and jumped out of the loft window and tore across the barnyard toward the ten foot high board fence that surrounded the pool area and her parked Weave speeder.

The twins started running for the barn when they heard Lana's scream. As they ran across the barnyard they saw off to their left the incredible sight of a hooded figure in a black jumpsuit drop over twenty feet from the loft window and instead of tucking and rolling it actually sprang off the ground on landing and bound across the barnyard toward the Kent's pool fence.

Lana screamed at Ryan, "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?"

Ryan ignored Lana's hysterical question and ran to the window just in time to see Puss'n'Boots disappear over the pool fence and into the backyard.

A moment later Lana was beside Ryan at the loft window but saw nothing more of the creature. All she was looking at were the Kents still on the porch and the twins in the backyard looking at the pool fence.

The twins turned and looked at Lana with their mouths formed into perfect Mr Bill O's.

Simultaneously they yelled, "Aunt Lana, he jumped over the fence and is in the backyard pool area."

Then they turned to each other and said, "He! Was that a he or an It?"

Ryan reached out to grab Lana but she shrugged him off batting away his hand and tore down the loft steps two at a time and then shot into the barnyard.

The Kent's were off the porch and now running to intercept Lana but there was no way they were going to win this race.

Jonathan yelled at her, "Stop Lana, what do you think you are doing?"

Lana didn't even look at him but charged at the fence gate that guarded the entrance into the pool area. She flung herself at it and pulled it open. The twins were about ten feet behind her.

What greeted Lana in the backyard was nothing!

Not a single thing or even a sign of a single thing. There was absolutely nothing in the backyard. It was completely empty except a couple beach umbrellas, a picnic table and a few deck chairs two of which were turned over.

Lana whirled around and walked past the twins out into the farmyard where Jonathan, Martha and Ryan were now standing.

Jonathan opened up with, "Lana, just what do you think you are doing sneaking around on our property?"

Lana was mad, scared and in one hell of an emotional state. "Don't give me any grief about that Mr. Kent. If you Kent's would be honest with me I wouldn't be reduced to creeping around like a thief in the night."

Lana stopped and locked eyes with each member of the Kents; the world's most frustrating family. "Ok, I will tell you my story and then you can tell me yours."

Lana's chest was still heaving as she started her side of the story. "I heard a story about Whitney being alive just eight months ago from one of my clients in Metropolis so I drove down today to Smallville to talk to Mrs. Fordman. She told me that Whitney had not been killed in Indonesia but was alive and in prison in North Korea."

Lana looked at Martha, "She also told me that the only people she spoke to about Whitney was with me today and yesterday she told Mrs. Kent. She also told me that Clark was home and Mrs Kent told her that she would speak to Clark about Whitney."

Lana started to tear up and wiped her eyes before finishing, "I just wanted to see Clark again. I miss him more than I can say. I just knew that all of you would try to stop me so I am reduced to creeping around in the night to try to see him. I just have to tell him how much I want him back in my life."

Lana then pulled herself together and stepped up to stand as eye to eye as a five foot four girl can with six foot two Jonathan Kent. "I am not proud of it but that is my story and it's the truth. Now you tell me the truth about what is that thing just now in the loft with Ryan and where is Clark?"

Jonathan was two seconds from unceremoniously tossing Lana and the twins off the Kent property without another word when Martha stepped in. "Lana, we can't tell you what you want to know. I mean that, we really can't. But I will tell you as much of the truth as I can."

Martha put her arms around Lana's shoulders and they started to walk toward the front porch of the Kent farm house. Jonathan tried to speak to Martha but he fell silent after she shot him a look.

Ryan followed with the twins. He ignored their questions and just said his mother would answer every thing the best she could.

Lana and Martha sat down on the hanging love seat while Martha told Jonathan and Ryan to step into the kitchen to get chairs so everyone could sit down together on the porch.

Once everyone was seated Martha started to explain the last couple day's events as best she could.

"Now Lana this expatiation is not going to satisfy you but please understand it is the best one I can give you. There won't be any more information coming or a question period after I finish."

Lana just shook her head in silent acceptance while tears started to run down her face.

Martha decided to start with the two inch fangs in the loft. "Lana in the loft was one of Clark's friends and actually over the last couple days she became a friend of all of us, especially Ryan."

Lana just choked out, "She? That was a she?"

Martha just smiled, "Yes, she is a she. A very special she. When Clark came to visit the farm on Monday she also came with her father who is one of Clark's closest colleagues. Together they all are involved in fighting the war. You know, like comrades in arms."

"What war Mrs Kent?"

"I can't tell you that so please don't ask me any more specific questions. I am going to tell you everything I can."

Martha then continued with the explanation, "I told her about Whitney when I came back from speaking with Betty outside the Talon since Clark and her father weren't here but had gone shopping."

Martha conveniently left out the shopping trip details such as Clark and Chuut Ritt went shopping in a spaceship to Okinawa for a Hattari Hanzo sword that was going to be a birthday present for Clark's one thousand year old Kryptonian Uncle Thor-el.

"She went to rescue Whitney on her own but once Clark and her father got back from shopping and found out what she had planned to do by herself they went after her. She broke Whitney out of the prison and the was able to escape by climbing over the fence carrying Whitney. She had to carry him because of the torture Whitney no longer has use of his legs. Then both of them were picked up by Clark and her father."

To say the least Lana was confused by the very sketchy explanation. "So Clark is really back in Smallville and Whitney is alive? But how could Clark or any of his friends rescue Whitney? Mrs Fordman said the intelligence guy told her it was hopeless and impossible to get him out of North Korea."

Martha took Lana's hands in hers and said, "I can't tell you the details but can only say that you know how many incredible and mysterious rescues Clark did during the years of the meteor freaks. Well Lana, he never stopped. Clark is still doing such rescues among other missions but just not in Smallville. And sometimes the rescues involve help from his special friends one of which you saw just now in the loft. Besides his friends to help on rescues Clark also has access to a lot of special military equipment. So getting Whitney out of North Korea is just Clark's latest rescue."

Martha leaned forward and wiped a tear from Lana's cheek, "So please don't ask me any details on why or how because I can't tell you. Just let me tell you what I can."

Lana didn't speak but just shook her head in agreement.

Martha then continued with her explanation, "Some of Clark's friends like the one you saw just now in the loft may be very different but that doesn't mean they are bad. Don't forget Kyle Tibbet, Cassandra Carver and Cyrus Krap were all pretty different and some would say even weird but they all still did good things."

Lana interrupted once again, "So what I saw in the loft with Ryan was a meteor freak? How can that be since there hasn't been a meteor freak sighting in Smallville since Clark disappeared on the day of the Talon's barbecue?"

Then Lana leaned forward toward Martha, "Mrs. Kent, believe me I don't hate meteor freaks. I even told Clark it would be ok if he was a meteor freak. I would never hold that against him after all the good he has done."

Lana looked down at her small hands being held by Martha. "After Ian McNulty told me he saw Clark catch a bullet I confronted Clark about him being a meteor freak and he denied it. It was one of the few times I was sure he was telling the truth."

Lana looked up into the kind eyes of Martha Kent.

Martha knew she couldn't answer with the whole truth but did the best she could with, "Clark was telling you the truth. He is not a meteor freak. He is kind of like Puss'n'boots."

Lana gave Martha a look of confusion which Martha immediately cleared up.

"Puss'n'Boots is the name of the person you saw in the loft with Ryan. Clark is like Puss'n'Boots in that they were born the way they are and not infected by the meteor rocks. Now don't ask me any more specifics because it is not my secret to reveal."

Martha took a sip of her tea which Jonathan handed her a minute ago.

"What has happened in a nutshell is Clark has been home for a few days. Clark and his friends rescued Whitney from a prison camp in North Korea where Whitney had been tortured and is now crippled. Whitney being crippled didn't even want to come back to Smallville to be pitied but Clark talked him into it. But I am still sorry to have to tell you Lana but Whitney doesn't want to see anyone here but his mother, Jonathan and myself."

Lana's hand covered her mouth, "Whitney doesn't want to even see me?"

Martha just continued as best she could, "Now don't worry about or be mad at Whitney. He will be ok because Clark knows a very special doctor who will be able to heal Whitney but even if he fully recovers Whitney will not be staying in Smallville. After all the entire world outside of American black opts intelligence thinks Whitney Fordman is dead and he wants it to stay that way so he can continue to carry out his secret missions."

Lana started to tear up again and wiped her eyes. "So that is it Mrs Kent. I can't see my best friend who I miss so much and I also can't see my first love who after all this time I find out is actually alive?"

"I am sorry Lana but that is the case. Just don't forget that both of them care for you deeply but they do have other things in their lives that demand their attention. There are so many and so much depending on Clark because of this war. And you know Whitney; he is just trying to get healthy and doesn't want anyone's pity. After his recovery I expect he will continue to go on secret missions and that requires him remaining anonymous."

"Also Lana, I know you don't believe it but I assure you it is true even though I can't explain it. What Clark's Uncle Thor-el said the day Clark left is still true. If Clark came in contact with you even though you would try you best not to do anything to him it doesn't change the fact that Clark would be in great danger and such an experience could kill him."

Martha reached out and brushed Lana's hair, "It's not your fault Lana but a weakness that Clark was born with and there is nothing that can be done about it."

Martha leaned back and crossed her arms, "Now Lana I don't want you to continue to brood on this but instead get on with your life. You are happily married young women in your last year of university. Lana, you have so many things to look forward to from a brilliant career to having children and raising your own family. Compare that to Clark who is as he always feared alone and fighting a brutal war. You have everything while Clark every day faces death and destruction with no one special in a romantic way in his life. Clark really doesn't need to be reminded of all he has sacrificed and lost by leaving Smallville."

Lana collected her thoughts and tried to see an angle to break down Martha's point.

"Mrs Kent I once told Clark unless he was honest he would end up alone. I know that is what he always feared so believe me I don't want to flaunt anything and that includes my marriage. I am so sorry I said to him that he would be alone all those years ago."

Lana's shoulders shook for a second and then she pulled herself together, " I wish I could have been a better friend like Pete and just accepted Clark with his secret but I didn't and couldn't. All I want now is Clark Kent back in my life. I don't even need to see him all the time. I just want to know from his own lips that he forgives me and when he is out there doing his heroics he knows that I am thinking of him. That's the reason I want to see him. I just want to see my best friend."

Martha just smiled and said, "He knows that Lana so don't worry about any of it. There is no reason for guilt but it doesn't remove the problem that Thor-el told us about Clark's weakness regarding you. So know that Clark cares about you the way you care about him but that doesn't change the fact that you can't see him. I am so very sorry."

Lana let out a huge sigh as her argument along with her world crumbled.

Lana then stood up and gestured for the twins to join her, "The twins will not say any thing to anyone about what happened tonight. I expect that they will want to go riding with Ryan tomorrow so I will send them over after breakfast. I have decided not to stay in Smallville for the weekend but will leave for Metropolis in the morning."

Lana gave Ryan a tight smile, "So Ryan I will miss riding with you tomorrow. Take good care of my girls and than means Tyson does not go swimming."

Lana stepped down off the porch with the twins to start the walk back to the Potter house but then stopped and turned back to the Kent's porch. "I do have one question which could you please answer if you can: Where are Clark and Whitney now?"

Martha walked to the edge of the porch, "Clark and Whitney are together and in Smallville but will be leaving in a couple hours. They won't be back to the farm. As for Puss'n'Boots I think I can safely say she has already left."

Lana then let Martha Kent know that it was not over. "Mrs Kent I want you to know that I will not just allow Clark to stay disappeared from my life. I am not a threat to him and will prove it to all of you when I finally see him again."

Lana felt bad about it but it was the truth as far as she was concerned. "I am sorry but I just cannot face living without Clark in my life."

Lana then turned around and with the twins walked out the Kent's laneway and back to the Potter house.

Jonathan walked over to Martha and put his arms around her. "That girl is not going to give up Martha."

"I know Jonathan but she can't very well sneak up on Clark while he is on a Weave star cruiser off the left shoulder of Orion. However for tonight we are talking about Lana Lang so to be on the safe side I think I better call Betty Fordman and make it clear to her how dangerous Lana is to Clark's Krypton super emotions."

Martha reached out and touched Ryan's houlder, "Ryan could you stay up in the loft and watch the Potter house for a couple hours. I know it's a pain and boring but I don't want Lana driving over without warning to try to interrogate Betty Fordman."

"Sure Mom" and then Ryan headed out to the barn to set up the telescope in the loft.

Martha turned back to Jonathan, "Once Lana graduates and starts working full time and most importantly starts her own family with Jason I am sure that Clark will fade from her world to be simply nothing more than an old nostalgic memory. After all she is human and not Kryptonian so time cures all."

Jonathan looked at Lana now following the twins through the front door into the Potter house. "I wouldn't bet on it Martha. You know sometimes I think Lana Lang is more Kryptonian than human when it comes to Clark."

………..Mean while across Smallville at the Fordman house!

To be continued as Part 34: Next Stop the Kzin Foreign Legion or Star Gazing or Star Cruising?


	33. A Call to Arms Part 33

Part 33: Next Stop the Kzin Foreign Legion or Star Gazing or Star Cruising?

Clark and Whitney sat side by side in lawn chairs in the backyard of Betty Fordman's home. The air was warm and the clear night sky full of twinkling stars opened up before the two of them.

Whitney was wrapped in a blanket and just finished a piece of pizza. It was the first Pizza in the long time for the Sniper Scout since Smallville's "Big Slice" Pizzeria didn't deliver to the Chungbong Slave Labor camp.

Whitney leaned over to the little lawn table and picked up the cold beer. He briefly looked at the beer bottle's label painting of a big African elephant with huge tusks coming out of the tall grass directly toward the artist. Whitney took a long pull on the beer and then brought the bottle down to take another look at the label.

"Excellent brew choice Clark, it's hard for a Midwest American boy to admit but just go overseas for a while and you really learn that American beer is piss water. I remember getting pretty sold on Tusker Lager when I was fighting the Army of God child soldiers in northern Uganda. The only good thing in that whole mess of fighting brainwashed twelve year old kids drugged up on qat (native drug popular in Africa and the Arabian peninsula especially Yemen) was discovering Tusker lager."

Clark took a long drink of his own Tusker lager and said, "Child soldiers? That's creepy; it's also kind of the way I feel about fighting the Crigolit and the Molitar. They are galaxy races that were conquered by the Clove centuries ago and now are generically programmed fighting slaves. They don't mean to fight for the evil of the Clove but were created and molded to fight with no free will. It took me a long time to accept I had to kill so many to save others."

Whitney held the bottle of chilled Tusker lager up against his temple cooling his blood running close to the surface. "I guess that dilemma never goes away whether the war is in Asia, Africa or even in outer space."

Whitney looked over and realized that even after decades of war Clark had never reached inner peace with having to kill in combat. "Everyone who has fought for freedom has to wrestle with that question Clark; from everything you have told me about the different planets and species the Clove comes into contact with I for one believe you made the right choice."

Clark looked at the stars, his home for the last sixty years and then at the lights of the homes of Smallville. "You know Whitney; it's just hard for me to live with the killing especially when I think of what is going on right now in these homes around us. Ordinary people living, loving, raising families and each and every one totally oblivious to that is happening in the galaxy."

Clark snorted, "Christ what am I saying? Forget the galaxy, hell Whitney they are totally oblivious to what happens on their own planet like in the Chungbong Slave Labor camp."

Whitney answered with a sarcastic laugh, "Ya and they are just as naïve about Tuel Sleng, the killing fields of Choeung Ek or the mass graves outside Al Hillah. I wondered for a long time why I fought for such little thanks but finally I decided I fight so they can live such innocent, naïve and always so completely self righteous lives."

Whitney paused and took a quick bite of pizza before continuing. "Clark I know from what you have told me about these super Krypton emotions that you are beating yourself up about all the killing but really just look at the alternative. Clark what would the Clove do to earth if they stumbled on it?"

Clark's face suddenly dropped in horror, "Jesus Whitney you don't want to even think of such a thing happening to our beautiful blue green planet."

"Then stop feeling guilty about it Clark and instead embrace that bitch we all hate but can't deny: Ms Duty."

Whitney set down the half eaten piece of pizza. After eight months of North Korean slave food he didn't want to get sick from eating too much rich food so soon.

"Let me put it this way Clark since it's the way it was put to me. A Canadian SAS sniper who fought with Ahmed Shah Massoud during one of the bloody defenses of the Panjshir valley against Russian amour was very concerned that the amount of killing he had done in that meat grinder of a battle had resulted in his loss of humanity. He asked himself this question: Does the reality that for me killing a man is so much easier than having to watch a dog go hungry make me less of a human?"

Whitney paused and then gave the answer, "Well the rationalization he came up with was not when he is fighting evil. You know real evil; the kind of evil academics and philosophers don't ever experience in the flesh. The deep dark evil that leaves scar tissue on your soul."

Whitney then to break the sober mood gave Clark a grin, "And besides don't feel guilty about feeling for the dog since we all know the dog is innocent unlike most humans in a war zone."

Clark gave Whitney a small smile back, "Whitney there are no dogs in outer space but there is a lot of evil. The evil of the darkest shade."

"Ok tough crowd, now come on Clark you have to work with me on the rationalization and focus on the evil. Besides helping me live with the killing the Canadian sniper also introduced me to the AWM .338 Lapua for which I will be forever grateful."

Whitney looked with Clark over the quiet Midwestern town of Smallville and went for a tangent change of topic. "You know Clark instead of being so concerned about football games if I was running the school I would like to take a Smallville High field trip to Choeung Ek. Everyone in this leafy little hamlet should at a young impressionable age stand in front of a pyramid of 8,000 human skulls just so you know it's not like the so called academics say all grey but there is actually real absolute evil in the world."

Clark let out the world weary sign of a sensitive soul that has done and seen too much. "Why stop of the killing fields of Choeung Ek Whitney, lets load them up into a Weave star cruiser and take the senior class of Smallville High to see a planet like that of the Turlog that has been raped, scorched and strip mined by the Clove into a dead rock."

"Gee Clark that sounds like it might make an impression on even a jaded class of American high school students. And just out of curiosity who are the Turlog?"

Clark smiled at Whitney, "One of the few Turlog left is going to put Smallville's humpty dumpy Quarterback together again. Their original planet was like the Great Barrier Reef done as a technologically advanced civilization. Now it's just a dead rock and the few Turlog left are working as medical doctors for the Weave. And they have saved my life more than once on the operating table."

Whitney smiled, "The Turlog sound like the battle field doctors we have in the Marines. We call them Devil Dogs. When you get tagged and wake up to see the face of a Devil Dog it's time to breath a sign of relief because dollars to donuts they will patch you up and get you back into action."

Clark felt the pulse of an incoming message and took out his communicator. A hologram appeared hanging in the air and he read the message.

"Good news Whitney, it's from Chuut Ritt. He has rendezvoused with the Weave Star Cruiser out in the asteroid belt. He passed on the body scans, tissue and blood samples we took of you and the Turog doctor says that she will have you at 100 in a week."

"Jesus Clark that is amazing. Just tell Chuut Ritt and the doctor thanks. I really am too overwhelmed to say anything more."

Clark formatted the message and set it. The hologram screen collapsed and once again Clark and Whitney were surrounded by only the light of the stars and Smallville.

Just then the phone inside the Fordman house rung. Ms Fordman had been given a sedative and sent to bed after the emotional greeting she gave Whitney when Clark first brought him into the house. Clark super speeded inside and picked up the phone. It was his mother calling to give him a heads up on the appearance of Lana and her encounter with Puss'n'Boots at the farm.

Martha let Clark know that Ryan was watching the Potter house and would let them know if Lana decided to go over tonight to try to get some more information out of Betty Fordman. Clark just let his mother know all was well at the Fordmans and Whitney could be healed by the Turlog doctor and to keep him informed if anything new came up.

Clark returned to the backyard and filled in Whitney on Lana Lang's evening's adventures.

Whitney couldn't help but laugh. "You mean Lana shined a flashlight right in the face of Puss'n'Boots in the loft?" He was cracking up through his broken teeth at the thought of it.

Clark cut in, "Come on Whitney Lana could have completely freaked out and Puss'n'Boots could have ripped her throat out. Even now she could still have a relapse and mentally break."

"Not a chance Clark? Lana Lang is too level headed. Lana will always look for a down to earth explanation. Aliens, Spirits, Ghosts or whatever is just not part of her world. Why do you think she never figured you out? Space aliens just don't enter her thought process however evasive and lying friends unfortunately do. Clark do you know that she never even liked Star Trek? I had to force her to watch it. I mean who doesn't like Star Trek?"

Whitney just chuckled, "Don't worry about Lana Lang. She will be confused and frustrated beyond belief but there is no chance of mental break down. That girl is made of steel when to comes to emotional and mental strength. After all she got me through the sickness and death of my father. And on the lighter side Lana also steered my over active imagination through dozens of football games where I was too nervous at first to leave the dressing room and go onto the field. I am not kidding Clark many times Lana Lang in her little cheerleading uniform held my hand while I puked up my nerves in the toilet before she talked me into going out and play."

Clark just looked unsettled, "Well Mom said she might come over here to interrogate your mother. So Whitney don't forget that due to Krypton super emotions Lana Lang is deadly to me."

"Don't worry Clark it won't come to that, after what you and the Kzin did for me do you really think for a minute I would let Lana Lang hurt you?"

Clark stopped pacing and sat down. "It's just that even after all these years just thinking of Lana Lang can produce emotions that bring me to my knees."

Clark turned to Whitney, "It's kind of ironic Whitney that both of us end up going off to war so we both end up losing the girl."

Whitney response was soft but true, "Clark, there is more to being a winner than getting the girl….even if that girl is Lana Lang."

Clark put his head in his hands, "I know you are right in my head Whitney but that just isn't true for me when it comes to Lana Lang and my heart."

Whitney searched for something to say to pull Clark back from the slippery slope of depression he was sliding down.

"I really don't know what to tell you Clark? For me simply I am content at being Lana Lang's first love. It was great while it lasted, she is a special girl, one of a kind but then it ran its course and we both had to move on."

Clark lifted his head out of his hands and turned to listen to Whitney.

"You know Clark during our time together I couldn't love Lana enough to keep her from feeling lonely. That is why she spent so much time in that graveyard. Lana Lang was the loneliest girl in Smallville. I might have been her boyfriend but you were her friend that touched her soul and helped pull her back to the light and conquer her loneliness. Maybe you being from another world made you the only person lonelier than Lana in Smallville and that is what she picked up on and thus felt you were a kindred spirit."

"As for me even having Lana Lang as my girlfriend or wife couldn't give me the contentment I needed to be satisfied with life in Smallville. You see Clark when I left Smallville I might have lost Lana Lang but I found what I really needed: A Cause."

Clark thought for a moment, "Those 'Cause' things can on bad days, years and decades really get you through an emotional mine field but now being here so close to her a cause, even a cause like saving the galaxy isn't always enough to control the pain."

"Clark in saving the galaxy you are going to save Lana Lang. We both know what you are going to do. You are going to leave Smallville and Lana Lang to return to the stars to once again try to be the hero and as usual you are going to succeed."

"I hope so Whitney, I know I will never abandon the Weave but will fight until either I am dead or they find someone better but that doesn't stop it from hurting being so close to her tonight."

Whitney decided it was time for a change in topic before he ended up with a super depressed son of Krypton on his hands so decided on football. "You know Clark I will never forgive Jonathan Kent for not allowing you to play football."

Clark was kind of started by the change in topic but countered with Clark Kent guilt. "My Dad was right. It wouldn't have been fair for me to play with my powers."

Whitney said, "Give me a break. You were a registered student at Smallville High and were not using any performance enhancing drugs. After all everyone has access to the sun. There is no moral reason you shouldn't play and besides Smallville High would have won State every year."

Clark grinned at Whitney, "Everyone has access to the sun. Never really thought of it that way."

Whitney decided to get the practicalities of seeing the doctor out of the way. "So what are we going to do about seeing the doctor? Can you take me up in the speeder to rendezvous with the Weave Star Cruiser or is there a better way."

Clark filled Whitney in on the fact that the sol solar system was enveloped in a spatial abnormality field that resulted in time running slow on earth. For every year on earth ten years would pass in the rest of the galaxy.

"So you see Whitney if it takes a week to get you healthy then the Weave star cruiser would have been unavailable for service for ten weeks which due to the Weave/Clove war can't be allowed to happen. So I think the best solution is for the Turlog doctor to come and stay here in your home in Smallville until you are ok and then we will send a star cruiser to pick up the doctor."

A funny look crossed Whitney's face as he finally saw the opening that he had been looking for. "That won't work Clark there is going to be trouble here on earth when the Turlog doctor fixes me up. You see I won't be able to explain how I got out of North Korea or why I am in such good shape after torture."

Whitney looked directly at Clark and played his ace.

"Clark, special opts is going to assume I am a potential Manchurian candidate and having the time that Colonel Kim didn't are not going to use an acetylene torch but are going to be more effective and shoot me full of truth drugs. I will betray your secret and thus your family without even realizing it. They won't believe me at first but they will for sure come to Smallville to investigate the Kents. They won't stop until it's all over for any hope of a normal life for your family. Simply Clark we can't let that happen."

"Jesus, I never thought of that Whitney. What can we do?"

"Clark the solution is obvious. My cause on this planet has played itself out so its time to find another one," Whitney looked up at the stars and pointed, "It's time to find a cause up there and I think you got one ready made for me."

"Whitney are you saying what I think you are saying."

"This is how it is going to go down. Tomorrow I will tell my mother that I am going and won't be coming back. It will be ok Clark. She has my brothers and sisters to take care of her and all the grandchildren to occupy her time. She only saw me every couple of years when I was with special opts. She won't be happy about it but it will be ok."

"It's too much of a sacrifice. Whitney you are human and when you leave Earth's solar system you leave the spatial abnormality field so you will stop aging in earth years but will accelerate to galaxy years. Ten galaxy years for every single earth year. It is a one way ticket."

"Clark, down here my ticket was to save the world. Up there I get to save a lot more than just the world. A one way ticket to a cause like that is just what I am looking for. Come on Clark just think about it. You told me Kryptonians are long lived and you are close to 80 galaxy years old. There could be a chance that you survive the war and can come back to Smallville. If special opts knows your secret you will never get that chance. On the other hand I don't need that chance."

Whitney briefly locked his swollen tortured eyes onto the night sky and then slowly turned back to Clark. "Fuck a bunch of sitting in Smallville looking cool. I will leave tomorrow with you to see the doctor and there is no need for a Weave star cruiser to hang around burning time because I won't be coming back."

Clark couldn't believe what he was hearing. He would have given anything to stay in Smallville and here was Whitney volunteering for a one way ticket to a war in the stars. "I know you always wanted to get out of Smallville but don't you think one hundred million light years past the town limits is over kill?"

"No, not at all Clark considering the cause."

Clark tried one more time, "Look around at what you are leaving behind. Come on, you can't be thinking clearly."

The Quarterback trumped the Alien with, "Let me clue you in on something Clark, having six holes burned in your back by a sadistic North Korean Colonel gives you a kind of mental clarity that Himalayan gurus only dream of. I'm going. Now could you open me another beer?"

And that was the last night that Whitney Fordman spent in Smallville.

Ryan kept watch but a broken hearted Lana Lang never left the Potter house that night.

In the morning after breakfast as promised the twins came riding in the laneway to the Kent farm on their horses. Ryan was saddling up his mount Crusader when Lana Lang drove out the laneway of the Potter house and turned toward Metropolis.

As she drove by the Kent farm Jonathan and Martha were having coffee on the porch and Ryan from the barn all gave Lana a wave. Lana returned the gesture from her Jeep Liberty and a few moments later she was gone.

A few moments after that series of waves in Smallville the first human being to leave the Sol Solar System; a native of Smallville, Kansas named Whitney Fordman met the Turlog doctor. Whitney shook one of her several arms in introduction and then she got started on putting the humpty dumpy Quarterback back together.

….To be Continued Part 34 High Noon Showdown in Metropolis!

PS Reviews are nice and don't forget to flame all you want.


	34. A Call To Arms Part 34

Part 34: High Noon Showdown in Metropolis!

Lana Lang waved goodbye to the world's most frustrating family as the twins rode up the Kent's laneway to meet Ryan at the red barn. She was frustrated beyond description about once again being unable to see Clark.

If he had just disappeared off the face of the earth it would be easier to take than these near misses of Clark contact that she had to live with every couple of years. Last night was the third time that Clark had slipped through her fingers since the day six years ago that Clark Kent disappeared from Smallville and more specifically her life.

Lana Lang was a down to earth, logical girl. Unlike Chloe she was not memorized by the meteor freaks that had stalked both of them as students at Smallville High. Lana Lang felt no need to expose meteor freaks for a newspaper story or in some self righteous belief in so called public good.

Lana was more of a live and let live kind of girl. If the meteor freaks came after her as many had then she would deal with them. Well, to be honest mostly deal with them by having Clark save her but she didn't go looking for them and trying to expose them like Chloe.

It was this down to earth Lana that while she drove to Metropolis played the events of last night over and over in her head trying to make some sense of them.

Whatever that thing had been in the loft named Puss'n'Boots it just didn't belong in the real world. After all it looked like a mutant cross between a tiger and a werewolf.

But then whatever could the explanation for such a creature than the one that Martha Kent gave her. The weretiger must have been as Martha Kent described a friend of the Kent's other wise Ryan wouldn't have been so comfortable around such a scary looking creature.

How did the existence of the weretiger Puss'n'Boots tie in with Clark Kent's secret?

Lana thought back further than just last night to focus on the state of her friendship with Clark just before he disappeared. Had she read Clark Kent wrong toward the end of their relationship? Was Clark Kent a liar or rather someone that had a lot of dangerous secrets?

Secrets that were not casual little high school things that are passed around in notes in a classroom but really dark and dangerous secrets. Could Clark have been telling her the truth when he said he kept secrets not because he didn't trust his friends but because his secret by design for their safety required it to be kept from all those he cared about?

After all even Pete the most trustworthy friend of all had not been told the secret by Clark but had found out on his own.

As for trying to figure out Clark's secret from first principles Lana thought back to the endless nights with Chloe and Lex where together they brainstormed hundreds of secret Clark scenarios in their heads.

Endless crackpot theories from Clark was a meteor freak to Clark actually knew who his birth parents were and that was the big Kent family secret.

For a while among the three friends the reigning speculation over the Kent family secret was that Clark was either Martha or Jonathan's illegitimate child from an extra marital affair.

No one in Smallville where gossip is the town's favorite pastime knew if the reason that the Kent's couldn't have children was due to a biological problem with Jonathan or if the problem was with Martha.

The reigning theories ran from Jonathan having been quite the ladies man in his day in a time of marital weakness he had an affair with one of his old girl friends and Clark was the result.

Then there was Lex's favorite theory since he knew his father was infatuated with both Martha and Clark that Clark could be Lionel's illegitimate son. That would explain why Jonathan hated Lionel Luther so much. The theory also all little too conveniently satisfied Lex's fantasy that he and Clark could be long lost brothers.

Then there was the endless probing that Chloe had done with the one person outside the Clark family that did know the secret: Pete Ross.

The net result of all Chloe's efforts was that it was confirmed that Pete Ross was the most loyal friend of all to Clark. Which by default made Lana, Chloe and Lex the worst kind of friends and really stoked the fires of guilt for all three.

The bottom line was it was impossible to pry the secret out of Pete Ross for love or money. It's not like both angles had not been tried with Chloe exploiting her part as Pete's life long crush and Lex waving money galore but both options failed to be key to prying Clark's secret out of Pete Ross.

Once Lana, Chloe and Lex organized a get together of the four of them and on cue all three of them had gone to work on Pete by reciting back and forth their endless speculation that the secret was anything from Clark being the result of one of his parents having an affair to being a meteor freak.

Pete had busted their game pretty quickly and instead of filling in the blanks gave each of them an emotional battering of their failing as friends that was very reminiscent of his performance on the soap box the day of the Talon barbecue at the mansion when Clark disappeared.

It was that evening at the end of Pete's second lecture on friendship and loyalty just before he stormed out that Pete got real quiet and give them the only clue he ever would of the magnitude of the mystery of Clark Kent.

Pete had said that Clark's secret was not some silly Smallville soap opera of illicit extra marital affairs or simply that affliction particular to Smallville meteor rocks. Pete looked at them all in the face and said that Clark's secret wasn't fucking small-town hypocrisy or high school pass the note crap.

What Pete Ross did say was that Clark had a secret that was not only bigger than any of them imagined but bigger than any of them could imagine.

That reference to the magnitude of the secret was a close as any of them would get to Clark's secret through the use or misuse of Pete Ross.

Clark might have disappeared from Lana's life but every time he made an appearance in Smallville even though she never saw him Lana knew it was the same old Clark Kent the hero of Smallville High.

All Lana had to do to confirm that Clark Kent was the same was to look at what he did in his rare appearances in Smallville since that last day she last laid eyes on him.

After the Talon barbecue Clark Kent had appeared after a two year absence to save Tyson, then two years later at Christmas to save the twins and their friends in the blizzard.

Finally the last time was last night if 'honest as the day is long' Martha Kent could be believed to save Whitney from prison in North Korea of all places. Then to just add to the mystery Lana discovered Clark saved Whitney with the help of a walking weretiger named Puss'n'Boots.

If Lana didn't have her numerous personal experiences of Clark Kent's endless rescues to fall back from her years at Smallville High she wouldn't have believed a word of it.

And what of the future? Would she never get a chance to every see Clark Kent again? Maybe Martha Kent was as right last night as she had been the day of the rescue of Tyson.

It was the day that Clark appeared to rescue Tyson that Martha had sat down Lana and delivered the advice that lead to her acceptance of Jason's marriage proposal.

That day Martha at first comforted Lana as she sobbed into Martha's shoulder and then finally convinced a cried out Lana to move on.

Lana thought back to Martha's words last night about Clark being alone and having nothing while Lana had everything. Well, today during this drive to Metropolis it sure didn't feel to Lana like she had everything. And what is the flavor of a life with everything when you don't have your best friend and most likely it's your entire fault.

Lana knew in her gut that today, like the day of Tyson's rescue, Martha Kent was right. Lana had taken a big step in the decision to move on that day. She had spent too many nights and days crying over Clark Kent.

That is why after Tyson's rescue and three years of begging she had finally caved in and married Jason.

Lana thought that committing to marriage would finally allow her to move past Clark. It was a good plan in theory but there was a catch that she just didn't figure on and that was Clark's mysterious appearances to do his usual heroics every couple years.

Lana was sure that if she could just see Clark once she could finally bury the ghost that had haunted her dreams and marriage for years. Lana needed to know that it was not her that was keeping Clark from living a normal life in Smallville or Metropolis.

The guilt that she may be responsible for Clark making the decision to leave his family and friends to fight alone in a war was just too much of a burden for Lana Lang.

Then today there was also Whitney to consider in her thoughts. Lana thought about the revelation from Betty Fordman that Whitney was alive and subsequent confirmation from Martha Kent.

The only thing more of a surprise to Lana than finding out that Whitney was alive was that Clark and his mutant friend Puss'n'Boots had rescued him from a prison in North Korea.

Whitney might not have been Lana Lang's deepest love but he was her first love. Lana knew she would have feelings for Whitney for all of her life. Whitney had been pretty broken hearted when Lana sent him that award winning Dear John video.

For a while Lana thought their friendship was doomed but then after a period of silence the emails started again and Lana was sure that they had worked their way past their failed romance to real lifelong friendship.

Lana remembered discussing with Chloe that she felt that Whitney and her became closer and shared more as friends after their breakup than they did as a romantic couple. Then after the news of his death in Aceh Province, Indonesia she had been broken hearted but managed to move on. Now Whitney was alive and didn't want to see her.

Lana just didn't understand why Whitney didn't want to see her after all they had shared together. Martha said that the reason was that Whitney needed to stay away from everyone because of his clandestine career in special opts intelligence? Maybe but it didn't ring quite as true as Lana's suspicions that the real reason was Whitney was somehow protecting Clark and his secret.

The more Lana thought about it the more plausible it sounded; especially when Martha had said last night that Whitney and Clark were together and would leave Smallville in a couple hours. So was the real reason that Whitney was avoiding her was that if she got a chance to see Whitney then she might also see Clark?

Lana thought that maybe Whitney was like the Kent family suffering from a delusion planted by that scary guy Thor-el that she was some kind of threat to Clark. Was Whitney staying away from her because he thought in doing so he was protecting Clark?

Lana didn't have a rational explanation for Thor-els delusion that everyone around Clark seemed to believe that she could somehow be a danger to Clark.

What possibly could a 110 pound girl do to Clark Kent the meteor freak fighting hero of Smallville? Did they really think she was just going to go crazy and pull a gun and shoot Clark?

What did she possibly do that could convince them that she would never hurt Clark Kent who had saved her life so many times? Lana's rational mind just had no answer to this psychosis that seems to hold the Kents, Pete and now maybe even Whitney in such a death grip. There seemed no way to get past it.

No matter how many times she told the Kents that she cared for Clark and missed him now more than ever all they would do in shake their head in sympathy and then repeat to her face Thor-el's cock n bull story that somehow She would do harm to Clark in they ever came in contact.

As Lana drove to Metropolis she ran the situation over and over in her head and as usual came up with no answers. It was the same as when Lana got together to brain storm about Clark with Chloe and Lex, never were there any answers.

Even after six years the mystery of Clark Kent had just as strong a hold as ever on all three of them. Chloe spent all her free time alternating between interrogating Pete and doing her own research on Clark's disappearance at the Daily Planet. In all this time Chloe had turned up nothing on Clark or his mysterious Uncle Thor-el.

Then Lex had spent thousands of dollars hiring the world's best investigative firms to hunt for Clark Kent and again found nothing.

As usual when Pete found out about their investigation efforts into the disappearance of Clark Kent he once again climbed onto the soap box and gave each of them his patented lecture on friendship. Then after verbally pointing out their failures as friends he would roll his eyes and tell them that their efforts to find Clark Kent was simply a waste of their time and money.

The truth was that Peter felt the pain of Clark leaving every day. The reason he once told Chloe was that Pete was resigned to the fact that Clark would be killed in this mysterious war that no one could find out a single thing about. They all knew that Clark visited Pete from time to time. Pete always treated these visits as priceless and always acted like each one was the last.

An hour out of Metropolis Lana had an epiphany. The same way that she decided to accept Jason's proposal the summer after Clark appeared to save Tyson Lana decided that it was time to take the last step to make a fortress of her life that the memory of Clark Kent couldn't penetrate.

Lana had given up after her talk with Martha Kent on the day of the rescue of Tyson of ever having Clark Kent as a romantic partner. Well to be honest she gave up in her waking world but not her dreams. It was at that point that she took the step of finally giving in to Jason and marrying him.

Lana knew agreeing to the marriage would ensure that Clark would never be her romantic partner. The fairy tale dream that haunted her since the day of Clark's disappearance of him suddenly appearing to sweep her off her feet and they would live together happily ever after died the day she accepted Jason's proposal.

Lana however didn't lose hope that some day Clark would appear and he would come back into her life. She knew her marriage meant that Clark could never be a romantic partner but at least if he reappeared he possibly could be in her life as a best friend.

Until the cold light of this particular morning Lana Lang had never lost hope that some day Clark would magically appear. On that day Clark would come back into her life and become a part of it much the same way he had been in freshman year at Smallville High.

Even if she was married to someone else Lana still felt of Clark as a kindred soul and her lifelong friend.

Now today was the time to let that dream die. Lana knew it was time to recognize the loss of any hope that Clark Kent would ever again be any part of her life. Lana knew that she really had to turn Clark Kent into nothing more than a pleasant memory of her teenage years.

Her marriage had been the first step to purge Clark Kent romantically and now was the time to take the second step and accept that Clark Kent even as nothing more than a friend was gone from her world forever.

Lana knew the best way to erase the pain of the loss of Clark Kent was to get what she had always missed but dreamed about her whole life.

Lana Lang wanted her own family.

She had of course discussed starting a family with Jason even before they had got married. He had been indifferent and evasive then; behavior that Lana had chosen to ignore rather than confront Jason's reluctance to commit to raising a family with her.

Jason had a lot of clever reasons for putting off starting a family. At first he used excuses from her life. He said that they would start as soon as she completed her undergraduate degree. Then after her graduation he was evasive and seemed thrilled when she got accepted into law school because then the excuse became not until she finished Law School.

What would be next? Not until she passed the bar or maybe not until she established her career as a lawyer. Maybe he would want to wait until she made partner at a law firm?

So far Jason had been able to always turn up an excuse related to her life but Lana was beginning to suspect that no matter what she did there would always be a reason out of Jason for no family.

This suspicion started with Jason's first excuse that the family would have to wait until she completed her bachelor's degree. When Lana said she didn't want to wait but would go to university part time Jason countered with an excuse out of his own life. Jason said they would start a family as soon as Metropolis University promoted him from Offensive Coach to Head Coach.

Jason's angle was that before the responsibility of children he wanted to be able to commit the required time and effort to his football coaching career. For Lana that excuse started to sound rather thin when Jason turned down a job offer to be Offensive Coach for the Metropolis Sharks in the big leagues.

To Lana it seemed like a perfect opportunity to move past university football and to make a career coaching in the pros. Jason however said he didn't like the moral corruption that is professional football.

Jason claimed he found it more fulfilling to coach wide eyed and naïve teenagers as they mature and develop rather than after they have been corrupted by the money and glamour of pro football.

So Jason made his decision to turn down the Metropolis Sharks and stay scouting high school football teams and coaching university kids as noble. Lana would have been happy with Jason's decision if it didn't clash with her intense desire to have children.

The truth was that Lana was sick of waiting. Her family was well off and she had a sizable trust fund built up over the years from the insurance money from her parent's death.

Meanwhile the Teague family were one of the wealthiest in Metropolis. There were no financial restraints and if Lana had to choose between her career and being a mother then the world could live without her designs or listening to her arguments in a court room.

Well, if Clark Kent didn't want to see her after all these years and once again be part of her life then Lana was going to get some people in her life that did want to be part of it and the best way to start was to have a baby.

Lana Lang had made up her mind. She would graduate from Law School in a month. She decided if Jason brought up her career as an excuse then she would just give up law and instead concentrate on design from home for career fulfillment. She could live without the lawyer career but she couldn't live without lots of beautiful babies.

Lana Lang wanted her own family and this time nothing was going to stop her so it was time for a High Noon Showdown with Jason.

How to get started with making babies?

Ok, first no more exotic stuff, well maybe just for foreplay up but when it comes to the main event it was only going to be plain vanilla baby making sex.

So that means goodbye to the costumes, toys and the trapeze because from now on in the bedroom there was going to be a calendar on the wall to track her ovulation period and only a thermometer allowed in her mouth. And forget the money shots and the last six chapters of the Karma Sutra because from now on the only bedroom diagram allowed is standard baby making missionary unprotected sex.

Lana was just on the outskirts of Metropolis when she remembered that Jason had gone to Grandville for the day on a scouting trip to try to convince the Griffin's star quarterback to choose Metropolis U for his post high school football career. She almost turned the Jeep Liberty around but instead decided to push on and go to the condo and freshen up since Jason would be back tonight.

She really needed to take a quick shower since the twins wouldn't get out of the bathroom this morning since they were trying to out preen each other in their endless battle for Ryan Kent's affection.

Lana outlined the day's battle plan in her head. After a quick shower she would visit a bookstore and pick up every how to get pregnant book, then go to the drug store for supplies and then call her gynecologist and book an appointment.

After all that she would call Chloe to meet for coffee and possibly a late lunch. Lana really wanted to let Chloe know as soon as possible about her ASAP Get Pregnant Plan.

Lana opened the door to the Condo and carried her overnight bag to the couch. Lana with her coat still on and carrying her purse decided the first thing she was going to do even before a shower was go directly to the bathroom, open the medicine cabinet and flush all her birth control pills down the toilet.

So she walked down the hallway toward the master bed room and just outside reached for the bathroom door. At that moment she heard a sharp but muffled cry and then movement from behind the closed door to the master bedroom.

Lana Lang's instincts kicked in and she felt chills run up and down her spine. Lana knew there was no mistaking what kind of movement was involved.

Lana felt her knees go weak and she leaned up against the wall and tried to catch her feelings before she lost them for good.

On auto pilot Lana reached into the purse for her mobile phone. Lana's auto pilot was in it's last year of law school and was nobody's fool and that included her husband Jason Teague.

Lana took a deep breath, steeled her nerves and pushed open the door.

There on the bed was every woman's nightmare.

Of course, if you are married to Jason Teague then it's not a nightmare as much as inevitable reality for being so freaking naive.

Lana held up her phone and took a nicely composed but hardcore explicit digital photograph and then to Jason's stunned face delivered her assessment: "Well Jason, I see you still like screwing high school students."

Jason in mid stoke came up with his sorry defense, "Lana, this is not what it looks like."

Lana just kept taking photographs with her mobile and said, "Really. Well to me it looks like you are screwing the Grandville Griffin's starting quarterback who I understand is considered this year as a hot prospect by most university football programs."

Lana leaned on one leg and held up her phone to check the last couple digital shots she took; "Now I don't know that much about football but does part of being a hot prospect mean he belongs on all fours on our bed biting my pillow?"

The Granville teenager and high school football star was now dying of embarrassment along with his new 'coach'.

Lana didn't bat an eye but just continued, "Oh look Jason, instead of biting my pillow while you screw him now the high school star quarterback is hiding his head under my pillow."

Lana pretended to yawn with indifference. "Well, you two carry on negotiations for the athletic scholarship while I email these digital shots to the Granville High school paper and the Inquisitor. I will also try to go up market with the Daily Planet but I expect they will be too classy to be interested but I am sure Chloe will enjoy showing these photos around the news room. Of course Cat Grant loves a good scandal for her society column so maybe they will make the Daily Planet"

Jason pulled out of the relieved high school quarterback and turned toward Lana, "Just a minute Lana. Please you can't do that."

Lana held her hand up over her eyes and said, "Yuck, I so did not need to see that."

Jason grabbed his pink thong from where it was lying on the floor beside the bed and held it over his little naughty bit.

Lana gagged briefly but a quick back up swallow meant she did not blow chunks across the bedroom. The last thing Lana wanted to do is lose her dignity in the face of this horror show by puking up the cheese bagel she had for breakfast at that morning's gas stop in Grandville.

After feeling the bagel hitting her stomach for the second time she went for the kill.

"Ok, soon to be ex-husband of mine, this is how it's going to go down. My lawyer will be contacting the Teague law firm. I want a divorce and I want it fast. Don't even think of contesting it. Now I am leaving but I will send someone tomorrow at high noon to pick up my stuff. Don't even think of being here or of contacting me in anyway."

Lana then held out her arm with her phone and pointed it right at Jason, "If you try to contract me by calling, email, SMS or physically or fight any of this I will post these photographs on the internet and then they will take on a life of their own."

Lana paused for a couple seconds and delivered the final blow, "This marriage is over and finished and since there is nothing else I want to say and I have no interest in anything you have to say I am leaving."

Lana then turned and quickly walked out of the condo only breaking stride for a second to grab her over night bag off the couch. A second later Lana was out the front door she slammed it shut signifying the end of her marriage to Jason Teague.

Lana for the most part held it together but started to tear up as she exited the elevator and walked through the lobby. How could she have been so stupid?

Before she broke down completely Lana knew she had to make a phone call. Lana hit her speed dial and in a couple rings Chloe picked up. In less than a minute Lana spilled the whole sorted story to Chloe.

Chloe's response came a second later. Chloe said don't think about trying to drive since they could pick up her Jeep later but to jump in the first cab she sees and come directly over. Chloe told Lana that by the time she got over to Chloe's apartment the second bedroom would be made up for her.

Lana hailed a cab and stumbled into the back seat. She mumbled out Chloe's address and said she was ok but didn't want to talk when the cabbie asked about her emotional state. Thankfully he took her at her word and left her alone to contemplate the less than five minutes ago destruction of her marriage.

Lana thought of the big plans for babies she had made on her morning drive back from Smallville and felt even more foolish. How could she have been so stupid not to have figured out Jason after all those years together dating and then marriage?

It was now obvious that Jason wanted to marry her to camouflage his secret life. So Jason's secret was boys. Well Lana thought that explained a lot like all those wasted nights when she should have been making babies and instead was on her knees doing her Japanese AV schoolgirl popsicle impression which was always soon to be followed with her on all fours going through tube after tube of lube.

Lana knew she had better be careful with her thoughts or that cheese bagel was going to make reappearance in the back of this cab.

Chloe would later tell Lana she thought Lana took the death of her marriage remarkably well but then again leaving Jason meant no more sore ass.

Lana shuttered as she thought about it. No wonder Jason told her she had the ass of a choir boy. She thought he was complementing her because she was petite when the reality was the pervert was actually fantasizing about the ass of a choir old boy.

Why was she even crying? Let's get real girl; spending time in bed being buggered by a husband you find out is thinking about boys while doing you makes a woman look forward to being alone.

Thank the gods for the small blessings that Jason was a little bee stinger needle dick. With Jason it was just biting the pillow waiting for him to finish. If it was the same activity with Clark she would be on all fours and howling like a banshee at the moon. Clark would have split her little choir boy ass like a ripe water melon hitting cement from a twenty story drop if he had Jason's taste.

Oh God, why now at this time was Clark Kent creeping back into her thoughts. She was supposed to be spending the day planning on babies to purge the thoughts of Clark Kent from her life rather than obsessing about him minutes after the blow-up of her marriage.

Lana thought back to those days before Jason Teague when she was a happy student at Smallville High. There wasn't a girl in Smallville High that hadn't heard the rumors from the gym showers about Clark 'Johnny the Wadd eat your heart out' Kent.

There were some lucky girls that had been there when Clark dropped the plaid and every last one of them when they told the story of their Clark encounter ended up wincing as they crossed their legs and then their eyes started to gloss over as a big dumb shagaholic grins appeared on their faces.

Lana had made it there herself even if it was for only one night.

That night was Lana Lang's most memorable of her life as a teenager in Smallville. It was the night of Clark's birthday in second year when she surprised him first with a birthday cake and then a whole lot more after their first real soul kiss.

Lana knew the rumors of Clark Kent were no exaggeration because in the loft after the birthday cake Lana gave Clark Kent a birthday blow job. It was quite the experience for the raven haired beauty let alone Clark Kent.

Lana discovered that even when using both hands and her mouth stretched to the limit and filled to the tonsils there was still plenty of Clark action left over.

Not wanting to mess up her hair and resigned to the fact that Clark was not going to release the back of her head Lana deep throated him at the finish and of all things she discovered his semen was not salty or slightly bitter but instead it consisted of an incredibly unique combination of quantity, aroma and taste.

Lana had been surprised but in a good way when Clark unexpectedly unloaded at least a full pint of semen on her tonsils that had a distinct sweet raspberry aroma and flavor. Another surprise was when Lana after making a valiant effort of swallowing the whole load had wiped the corner of her mouth and she saw that of all things Clark Kent's semen was a distinctly pink color.

When Lana thought about it going down on Clark Kent to the end was like trying to chug a pint of sweet raspberry shake blended with whip cream.

Really and truly what was the story with Clark Kent?

Thinking of Clark killed the rest of the taxi ride and Lana soon arrived at Chloe's apartment. Chloe was standing on the side walk at the curb for her and when the cab stopped reached over to open the door.

Lana fell out of the cab and into Chloe's arms. For the first time since her talk with Martha Kent Lana felt safe. Chloe broke the hug to quickly pay the cab driver and to get Lana's over night bag out of the cab.

The cab sped away to leave Lana and Chloe alone on the sidewalk. Chloe tossed Lana's bag over her shoulder and put her arm around her to walk her into the apartment building.

"Come on Lana, he is shit and that's all there is to it. You are going to shake this off and get back into form but for this weekend there are two pints of Rocky Road up in my place with our names on it. And Lana I can't tell you how happy I am to have my roommate and sister back."

The two friends walked into the building and went to work erasing Jason Teague from the hard drive of their lives.

…………..Meanwhile 10 million light years away……………

.to be continued as Part 35: Welcome to Kzin Boot Camp or Star Light, Star Bright, Riding a Star Cruiser to a Fight!


	35. A Call To Arms Part 35

Part 35: Welcome to Kzin Boot Camp or Star Light, Star Bright, Riding a Star Cruiser to a Fight!

What could Whitney say about quality of Weave medical personnel and facilities? The simple fact was the Turlog doctor delivered the best heath service in the galaxy. To prove it was the fact that Whitney actually walked off the operating table of the Weave star cruisers sick bay.

The Turlog doctor true to her word put his broken body back together. The artificial implants worked but his stride wasn't as smooth as it had been before Colonel Kim took an acetylene torch to him in the torture chamber.

However, Whitney knew that when you have been crawling around for months just limping upright feels as good as sprinting a hundred meters to a new world record.

Clark had got the message that Whitney was coming out of surgery and got off his bridge watch early to meet him. So when Whitney hobbled out of the operation theater there was the Kansas farm boy turned space warrior waiting greet him back to the land of the walking wounded.

Whitney grimaced a bit but gave Clark a big smile. "Kent, you have no idea how great it feels to be back on my feet. Even if I am a little unsteady these artificial nerve implants are out of this world. Actually seeing that we are on a space ship maybe I better stop using 'out of this world" as an expression'."

Clark smiled as he gave Whitney some even better news, "Now Quarterback don't get too attached to the artificial implants because you will soon be giving them up." Whitney gave Clark a confused look. "Come on Whitney you will have to give them up so you can grow some new natural ones."

Whitney laughed and in disbelief shook his head, "Unbelievable, the Turlog doctors can grow nerves?"

"Not the Turlog, they are the best at surgery which you would expect due to all those arms and one of the most sophisticated nervous systems in the galaxy. The guys that can grow nerves are another member of the Weave that lost their planet to the Clove called the Hivistahm. Most of the doctors in the Weave are Hivistahm. They are fantastic doctors, not as good a surgeons as the Turlog who are the best there is but since there are only a few hundred Turlog survivors so most of our Weave doctors are Hivistahm."

Whitney shuffled along the corridor asking Clark questions, "So if the Turlog are air breathing octopuse like creatures what are the Hivistahm like?"

"Well they are the guys that figured out how to grow nerves all through the bodies of the various members of the Weave and in fact can grow back limbs for most species."

Clark shot a quick smile at Whitney, "Back on earth lizards or a salamander can grow back their tails or limbs and out here it's something that an intelligent sophisticated race the Hivistahm can also do naturally. So the Hivistahm look kind of Jurassic Park physically but that is where the similarity ends. The Hivistahm are brilliant scientists and doctors that look like big intelligent lizards but instead of being cold blooded they have an amphibian type of metabolism. They can grow back their own limbs and nerves naturally so of course over the centuries they studied the biological mechanism in their own bodies and then learned how to transfer it to most of the species in the galaxy."

Clark outlined Whitney's schedule, "So the plan is we are going to grab a coffee and then its right over to see the Hivistahm specialist to get you signed up for nerve regeneration. Of course at the same time as you will be growing new nerves it will also be time for Weave boot camp."

"Clark, I am kind of on extended gimp mode; how am I going to both grow nerves and do military boot camp at the same time."

"I'll tell you in a minute, this is our stop." Clark turned into a galley and stopped at an empty table gesturing Whitney to sit down. Clark ordered two double espressos. "Don't look surprised Whitney; they know how to make espressos from the list of my preferences on the galley database. With so few Kryptonians in the Weave we are well known to everyone. I expect that with you being the only human in the fleet they will soon have your preferences recorded in every galley data base."

Clark and Whitney's espressos soon arrived and Clark clued in Whitney. "You had better enjoy this espresso because for the next three weeks you are going to live on glucose and electricity in a tank while your nerves grow back and at the same time you do boot camp."

Whitney took a sip of the espresso and was pleasantly surprised at how good it was, "Before I ask you how I am going to grow nerves in a tank and do boot camp just tell me what I am going to learn in boot camp?"

Clark leaned back, "Whitney you are an experienced US Marine sniper scout and special opts soldier but earth soldier training is as out of date out here as a Roman legionnaire would be in your 21st century earth army. So we have to do two things at once: First the Hivistahm will set you up to grow back your nerves and believe me this is fair warning since I had the Hivistahm regenerate both of my legs after they got blown off in a firefight in a red star solar system sixteen years ago; it is going to hurt like hell."

Whitney started to laugh, "Don't worry about it Clark, it only hurts like hell when you are having them burned out with an acetylene torch in a Chungbong Slave Labor camp torture chamber. If I know they are going in instead of being burned out then the pain is going to be a pleasure."

"Ya, you are right Whitney but don't say I didn't warn you. So to grow back your nerves the Hivistahm will give you a shot that will turn you into a dishrag and then drop you in a tank of oxygenated fluorocarbon fluid which they have developed specifically for most of the different Weave species. Then over a very painful three weeks you will be suspended 24/7 in the oxygenated fluorocarbon fluid tank as your nerves grow back."

Whitney raised an eyebrow in disbelief, "Ok what is the catch? Like when does the whole boot camp thing happen?"

Clark smiled, "Just before they drop you in the tank for nerve regeneration they will shave every hair off your body and attach dozens of bioelectric implants to your head and body and finally hook you up to an ACSC. That is what we call in short hand an 'accelerated combat situation computer". Your boot camp will be coming in via the ACSC over the bioelectric implants and it will keep you pretty busy and hopefully give you something to do rather than concentrate on the pain of the nerves re-growing."

Whitney just tossed back the last of his espresso, "Ok, dude deal me in; I am looking forward to it and that includes the tank, the boot camp and your Uncle's birthday party you mentioned at the end of it. Hell, I am even looking forward to the pain of having my nerves grow back. So let's get started."

So on a Weave star cruiser in deep space that is exactly what happened to the first human to ever leave the Sol Solar System.

Whitney was suspended in an oxygenated fluorocarbon fluid tank in great pain but had a goal to keep his mind off the pain. The goal was to go from a 21st century US Marine sniper scout to a modern Weave warrior in three weeks.

The 'accelerated combat situation computer' on initial scans took about five minutes to review everything Whitney knew about war and then it started to teach him right from the beginning. Whitney learned the best way to use every weapon from a pointed stick to a nova bomb and not just intellectually.

With his body and mind suspended in the tanks the 'accelerated combat situation computer' pumped cybernetically controlled feedback kinesthesia impulse current directly down the bioelectrodes directly into Whitney's brain and muscles.

The experience for Whitney was as real as unreal could get.

Whitney felt the weapons in his hands and watched his performance with them over and over until he got it right. The illusion of reality was total. The 'accelerated combat situation computer' took his memories of earth and put him into situations that he was familiar with from Earth's history. He was a Bronze Age warrior in the battle for Troy. He fought with a battle axe as a Viking raider. He was a spearman in a Mori tribe in a raid on a rival tribe's village.

Then for weapons earth had no history for Whitney in endless battles on alien worlds used everything from to laser cannon to disrupter phasers. Over the three weeks of military boot camp in his tank of oxygenated fluorocarbon fluid Whitney killed a division worth of electronic ghosts.

When Whitney wasn't in kinesthesia combat in his head the bioelectrodes zapped him with thousands of years of galaxy military theory and history. Then came the weapons manuals for everything from a Kzin attack fighter to how to change the energy drive on a Weave speeder. Then in the last week it was linguistic training. Both spoken and written communication for the dozen or so main languages of the Weave.

For Whitney it was like a Roman legionnaire who knows how to build ancient siege machines that goes into a magic learning tank for a three week swim and then comes out knowing how to do everything from field strip an M-16, drive an M-60 battle tank to fly an F-22 fighter.

Whitney went in 21st century earth sniper scout and came out a high tech Weave warrior with a brand new set of fast firing nerves that gave him reflexes and strength that would have won without even breaking a sweat Olympic metals back on earth.

As before when Whitney came off the Turlog doctor's operating table Clark was there when the scaly but gentle Hivistahm doctors using their long tails as a counter balance lifted Whitney out of the tank of oxygenated fluorocarbon and drained the liquid out of his lungs.

Whitney just coughed a few times and then from where he was hanging upside down reached up and released his feet and fell in a graceful somersault to land like a cat on the floor.

Clark just shot him a smirk and said, "Well Quarterback it looks like the 'accelerated combat situation computer gave your new nerves a real workout."

Whitney couldn't get the dumb grin off his face. "It's incredible Clark, I feel faster and stronger than I ever did before."

Clark smiled and said, "That is because you are faster, stronger and quicker than you ever have been before. The Hivistahm do more than just make you as good as before. They make you better. However I am sure you are hungry for some real food after three weeks of glucose and electricity so clean up and let's go get something to eat."

A half a hour later Clark and Whitney were back in the star cruiser's galley but this time instead of espressos they were both digging into what looked, smelled and tasted like a tenderloin steak dinner.

Whitney held up what looked like a piece of very tasty tenderloin and asked, "This is fantastic, what is it since I am sure even this star cruiser doesn't have Aberdeen Angus cattle grazing on the flight deck?"

All Clark would say is, "I don't think you really want to know."

Whitney continued to dig into the steak but asked Clark to recap in detail his arrival on earth, growing up with the Kents, hiding his abilities at Smallville High and of course their mutual rivalry for the affection of Lana Lang.

Whitney knew quite a bit of the story from their night drinking in the Fordman's backyard but the explanation Clark gave him now went into a detailed explanation of everything from Lex hitting him at 60 miles an hour, the bug boy rescue to saving Lana in the tornado.

Whitney listened intently but besides the facts also heard in between the lines just how Clark as a Kryptonian alien had been so isolated and lonely always trying to remain hidden as a ordinary face in the crowd in Smallville.

Clark also heard from Whitney what the Quarterback had thought about Clark when they were both attending Smallville High.

For example Whitney had always been confused why Clark who was a great natural athlete never played varsity sports. Clark found out that he might have stayed off a lot of radar screens at Smallville High but you can't fool an athlete of Whitney's caliber.

Whitney knew just from watching Clark in ordinary PT class that Clark was faking his lack of athletic talent the whole time. Whitney could never figure out why Clark was doing it but he still knew Clark was a lot more of an athlete than he ever showed in gym class.

It was over replicated steaks on a Weave starship that Clark found out that the reason he got hassled by Smallville High's jocks was not because they thought he was a geek but simply Whitney knew that Clark was faking his lack of athletic talent. They all resented Clark not helping Smallville High to sporting glory.

Not a single one of the jocks believed Clark's excuse that his father forbid him to participate in varsity sports. They all had seen the trophies in the Smallville High display case and every single one of them knew that Jonathan Kent was one of Smallville High's most famed athletes.

There is no way any of them could believe that a former star athlete of Jonathan Kent's caliber would forbid his son to participate in sports. Little did any of them know the real reason why Clark was forced to keep such a low athletic profile.

Whitney finally asked the ultimate question to his high school rival for Lana Lang.

Whitney want to know what kept Clark from simply getting rid of him and taking Lana for himself?

For Clark with his super powers it would have been easy for him to super speed over to Whitney's house and then simply drop kick him into low earth orbit. At super speed there would be no witnesses and a built in alibi.

Of course the perfect crime comes with the perfect motive in the form of the beauty of Lana Lang.

In reality it was not the ultimate question at all but just one of the hundreds of questions that were just simple variations on the real ultimate question.

What do you do when you can do, take, have, and enjoy anything you desire with no consequences?

Does absolute power corrupt absolutely?

Clark just smiled and gave Whitney the answer. "I can't say I didn't fantasize about it Whitney while I was hanging in that corn field with Lana's necklace around my neck. In the end all I can say is Jonathan and Martha Kent saved your life. The simple truth is I was raised by the right people and to be honest I sometimes shutter when I think of what evil I could have become if it wasn't my parents that found me."

Clark thought for a few seconds and then added, "Also, besides saving you, Jonathan and Martha Kent saved my life years later. You see when Thor-el came to earth to get me one of the first things he did was ask my parents if I had killed anyone. If I had been corrupted and using my powers for evil Thor-el would have killed me on the spot. So in the end Mom and Dad saved us both."

Clark then gave Whitney a grin, "Also I guess the satisfaction I got from stacking your trucks was enough."

Once Whitney stopped laughing he shook his head in disbelief, "I guess the philosophers are wrong; absolute power does not corrupt absolutely on the Kent farm."

By the end of the meal and a lot of coffee the two warriors took a long look at their mutual history with each other and with the girl they both fell in love with and in the end just gave each other a sheepish smile and between the Alien and the Quarterback that book was finally closed forever.

With the end of the 'life at Smallville High' talk the two warriors shifted their conversation to the current situation.

Whitney looked out the galley observation window as the Weave star cruiser sped through space. "You know there is no where else I would rather be than here. What that Turlog doctor did for me is incredible. I owe her so much. I will do my best to pay back the Clove for what they did to her planet and people."

Whitney took the extra coffee that Clark held out to him and continued to think out loud. "But it's not just to thank the Turlog doctor. It's simply that the Colonel Kim types whether they are human in North Korea or something else out here in outer space the universe is better off without them and all they represent."

Clark took a sip of his coffee and thought for a couple seconds, "We feel the same about the Colonial Kims and the Clove but I would do anything to be away from all this killing and back on the farm just sitting in my loft waiting for my mother to call my Dad and me to dinner."

Whitney gave a quick snort, "You forgot to mention Clark that you would be in your loft glued to your telescope in a friendly way stalking but still stalking mind you, your beautiful neighbor Lana Lang."

Clark gave a rather sheepish grin, "I guess I can fool anyone else on this ship but the Crow's Quarterback busts me every time."

Whitney got serious for a moment. "Clark just do your duty and in combat stay frosty. You can still survive this bloody mess and go back to Smallville."

Whitney by now was getting pretty good at reading Kryptonite super depression and knew what was tearing up Clark. "I know she married that rich asshole from Metropolis but I spoke with my mother and she thinks the guy is a jerk and he had some other reason to marry her than for love."

Whitney leaned toward Clark and grabbed on to his shoulder and turned him to make his point. "Listen to me Clark. My mother is pretty perceptive when it comes to stuff like that. At Lana's wedding my mother was sitting with your parents, Pete, Chloe & her father and the Talon staff. Lana came over several times to thank them all for coming and my mother said that evening she thought Lana was the most melancholy bride she had ever seen. Don't read it wrong Mom said as beautiful as you would expect Lana Lang to be in a wedding dress but with a distinct aura of sadness. My mother told me she thought Lana simply knew she was marrying the wrong guy. When she got back to Smallville after the wedding the next day my mother told my sisters and brothers that she was sure the marriage was doomed."

Clark let out a big sigh and reached out to touch the transparent force-field that separated the galley observation deck from the coldness of deep space. "That might be true Whitney but it doesn't change the fact that we are millions of light years from Smallville fighting a bloody war against a ruthless and cruel enemy….."

Whitney cut him off, "But you have the spatial time abnormity the Earth is caught in working in your favor Clark. For now you have to just concentrate on winning this war, defeating the Clove, freeing the galaxy and staying alive. You are going to live for hundreds of galaxy years while only a tenth of the time passes on earth. Clark, you gotta stay alive for the victory and go home to Smallville. I am sure you will get a better welcome that you expect."

Whitney turned back to look at the stars, "Really Clark one of us has to fucking make it out of this war and we both know with galaxy years it is not going to be me."

Whitney turned around and leaned against the bulkhead. "Now I still have some questions. Since you have invited me to his birthday party tell me what the story is with this Uncle of yours Thor-el?"

Whitney already knew from Clark the story of how Thor-el came to earth at the Talon barbecue and how he first learned from his Uncle of the destruction of Krypton, death of his parents, the Weave/Clove galaxy war and why he had to leave earth.

So Clark filled Whitney in on his mentor in this war and his mother Lara's twin brother a Krypton warrior called Thor-el and this is the story Whitney heard.

Thor-el was universally considered by both sides of the Weave/Clone war to be the greatest warrior in the galaxy. Thor-el had tried to involve Krypton in the war when the Clove first appeared and the Clove was still relatively weak.

The Kryptonian government chose to ignore the Clove and down played their threat to the galaxy and instead decided to concentrate on issues that only directly affected Krypton.

Later when no one on Krypton could claim the Clove was not a threat to other species since their intention to conquer the galaxy had became apparent Thor-el tried again but once more the isolationists of Krypton won the day.

The problem was that Krypton was powerful enough not to feel directly threatened by the Clove so the planet chose instead to ignore what was happening to the weaker species in the galaxy and instead decided to continue to follow a policy of isolation.

It was this policy of isolation that doomed Krypton.

Clark learned from Thor-el the history of Krypton and how this policy of isolation directly lead to the destuction of Krypton.

For Clark Thor-el was also a link to his Krypton heritage. Thor-el told Cark endless stories of his parents and the glory that was Krypton as their star ships opened up trade routes and explored the galaxy from end to end.

Thor-el also told the story of a civilization that in achieving the pinnacle of success then pulls in on itself and loses interest in others.

The curse of the isolationist policy ultimately meant doom for a people as powerful as the Kryptonians as it did on earth for the Chinese building a wall to keep out the world. Instead of protecting themselves the wall just insured that China fell further and further behind the rest of the world and in the end were surpassed by the very barbarians they built the wall to keep out.

The same thing happened to Krypton in the galaxy. Arrogance and indifference to what was happening in the galaxy by Krypton allowed the Clove to form and gain strength until finally when it was too late the realization hit that no people or race in the galaxy can afford to ignore tyranny. Even when at first glance the tyranny appears not to affect you but only distant neighbors.

Little did the people of Krypton understand that being so powerful they just couldn't decide to label themselves as the Switzerland of the galaxy and hope the Clove would leave them alone.

Being so powerful Krypton might have tried to convince them selves they were neutral but the Clove certainly didn't see them that way. The Clove knew they would have to fight Krypton sooner or later and went to work to find a weakness.

So after being unable to convince Krypton to enter the war against the Clove Thor-el then left Krypton with a few fellow warriors who thought as he did.

Thor-el and his fellow warriors were all off world fighting with the Weave when the Clove having discovered a previously unknown weakness of the Kryptonian race had ordered their sneak attack against the planet of Krypton using green plasma based weapons.

Of the few Kryptonians that were off world during the destruction of their planet even fewer were still alive a year later. Most Kryptonians hadn't been killed directly in the destructions of their planet died within months from broken hearts.

Only the few Kryptonians that had gone with Thor-el to fight for freedom of the entire galaxy's races with the Weave had seen enough combat to have enhanced the ability to control their super emotions and thus were able to initially survive the usually fast terminal effect of a broken heart.

Even so over the years the super emotions continue to tear down the mental defenses of the surviving Kryptonians and if they are not killed in battle each knew in the end they will eventually scum to death by broken heart.

The simple reality was that all the surviving Kryptonians except Clark had a terminal illness.

At the present time there were only six Kryptonians left alive in the galaxy. There had been fourteen when Clark first left Smallville but in the sixty galaxy years of fighting since then five Kryptonians had died in battle and three had finally been struck down by that unique affliction to their race of 'death by broken heart'.

Thor-el appeared able to go on and on in battle more driven by hate of the destroyers of Krypton than by the destructive emotions of heartbreak.

In the end however Clark knew that Thor-el would not survive the war; it was all a rouse. Thor-el was Mars the god of war and his super emotions that couldn't kill him because of his hate for the destroyers of Krypton made him hungry to die in battle.

It was as if Thor-el because he had control over his broken heart instead his super emotions decided to replace them selves inside him by the war so he was addicted and couldn't live without it.

There was no Krypton or life after battle to go home to for Thor-el so it was clear he would fight to the very end. It was as if the Krypton warrior knew there would be no place for those such as him in any other world so he may as well embrace his fate in battle, not dodge it.

Clark knew the emotional turmoil Thor-el was in but it didn't make him think any less of him.

The only thing that counted for Clark was that his Uncle Thor-el was the best. Man, he was good! He was so fucking good it made every war veteran's head spin.

Thor-el was super cool in action, the ice king who just let it happen, his brain slipped into supercomputer mode in combat and figured it out so fast it made you dizzy. Thor-el reacted before the tactical computers could figure it out and took out any fast moving bad guys and just kept on doing the business.

But in the end it would kill Thor-el, Clark thought. The war with the Clove would eat him up in the end.

Thor-el would try one more brave and desperate thing that the tactical computers never even thought of, just too eager somehow to keep it going, to press himself further, to try to dull the loss of billions of lives on Krypton and it would in the end kill his heroic ass.

Thor-el would never stop, never hit discharge date and never ever go home; to any home. For Thor-el who didn't have a Smallville to believe in there is no end to war.

For Thor-el this war was forever.

Whitney was pretty shaken up to hear the story of Thor-el and the news that all the Krypton warriors were effectively suffering from a terminal emotionally based illness.

Whitney finally said, "Jesus Clark, that is heavy stuff. It's just hard as a human to accept that an intelligent sophisticated species like the Kryptonians exist. Beings so incredibly powerful yet so vulnerable to nothing more than emotions."

Whitney just shook his head and then looked again to Cark. "So just to get this clear Clark, you are saying that if they don't die in battle all the surviving Kryptonians are still going to eventually die of a broken heart."

Clark looked out of the window at the stars going buy at warp speed. "Not all of them Whitney…..you see there is still me. I was just a baby when my parents put me in that spaceship and sent me to earth. So I was never emotionally attached to Krypton the way the other Kryptonian survivors were so I don't feel to the same extent the emotional pain of having billions of my species die in a day."

Clark stared out into cold space, "But it is true that all the surviving Kryptonians will eventually die of broken hearts. The mental exercise and drugs can only do so much before even a physically invincible body facing the Kryptionian super emotions finally seeks the peace of death."

Clark in effect told Whitney that in the end his greatest fear, that Cark Kent would be alone was almost a certainty.

"Whitney no one is completely sure but all the data points point to the reality that the only Kryptonian that will ultimately survive the destruction of Krypton is the only one that didn't know life there and that is just me. I will be completely alone in the universe."

Whitney really didn't what to say to Clark regarding his future fate.

Whitney reached out and touched Clark's shoulder causing him to turn from the scene of stars steaming past the observation window. "Jesus Clark I really don't know what to say to you? I guess for you the "The Last of the Mohicans" is more than just a movie title and more like a snap shot of the future."

Whitney realized in a second what he had said and tried to recover, "Shit, I'm sorry Clark I didn't mean for it to come out like that."

Clark gave Whitney a weak smile, "Forget it Whitney. The past is dead and the future does not exist so to stay alive I just try to live in the present. After all who knows what will happen. There is a chance that I won't be alone. Thor-el could survive since he has such strength of will but with such strength of will comes even more powerful emotions. In the end I simply don't know with certainty what the future will bring."

Whitney thought for a moment about what Clark had said and then decided it was time to switch to a relevant but more neutral topic before Clark's emotions started to drag him down into the pit of depression.

Whitney started to tell Clark a bit about what had been going down on earth in special opts since he had left Smallville in his senior year.

Whitney filled Clark in on the battle against dictatorship and terrorism that was the definitive definition of 21st century war on earth.

Unlike the Weave who never had to worry about a fifth column in their own camp both sides on earth were filled with those that would sell out their own for a pound of flesh.

For a democracy there wasn't even a true fifth column but the threat came from the apathetic nature of its citizens. After all even in a western democracy where life had been too easy too long who really cared if soldiers died on the wall for those living the easy life in the suburbs? It really was out of sight out of mind.

From what he had seen so far it seemed to Whitney that the peoples of the Weave would do anything for their soldiers fighting the Clove. He saw that simply in the care that a Turlog doctor gave him on the operating table. The Turlog doctor had even thanked Whitney for being there to fight for her species freedom while she put him back together.

That was a pretty mind blowing attitude for a Marine sniper scout to encounter in a civilian rather than the standard back on earth of being called a 'baby burner' by peace marchers.

It was while he was lying on the operating table being thanked by a doctor with multiple arms while she saved his broken body that Whitney decided then and there that trading Smallville for the good fight in outer space made one hell of a lot of sense.

Whitney could never have said the same back on earth.

Who else but Soon Kim Lee and her family thought that going into North Korea to save her was a noble and just thing to do? A majority of the typical citizens of a western democracy would call such a rescue reckless and a violation of international borders and law.

The bottom line for those living smug comfortable lives they never give a dam about anyone's freedom until the T-72 tank is sitting on their front lawn. Well at least no one that was living in Beverly Hills making conspiracy theory movies or even Smallville that is for sure are going to care about anyone until it's their own head in the crosshairs.

Who would care? Who would listen?

As a US Marine Whitney knew for most civilians the idea of soldiers as heroes was completely gone. So called peace marchers, Hollywood stars, ambitious journalists and ivory tower academics that never smelled a mass grave in their lives had seen to that.

Today solders were baby killers, torturers and rapists or, if not that they were fools, suckers and morons who were too stupid to figure out the angle needed to beat the system.

Whitney sometimes wondered why he did it for so little thanks. Did he do it so his family and friends in Smallville could live so pleasant, naive lives or did he do it so celebrities could revel in endlessly self righteous lives while they flew around the world to shake the hands of their current favorite "dictator of the month"?

In the end Whitney knew he did it for the simple reason so none of his buddies out in the good fight with him would ever say that Whitney let them down?

Well none of that mattered any more because it was all 10 million light years behind him.

Whitney was as far as any human being had ever been from earth but here on a Weave star cruiser rushing to a brutal war against the Clove Whitney felt he had arrived home.

………Continued below as Part 36: Thor-el's Birthday Party


	36. A Call To Arms Part 36

Part 36: Thor-el's birthday party!

Whitney in his attack fighter with the 'Go Crows' insignia painted on the side by the still hot laser cannon and was cruising in the cold darkness of space back to the Weave star cruiser. He looked out over his left wing and saw her two inch canines flash as Puss'n'Boots from her attack fighter gave him a smile. On his other wing was Clark with just as big a smile but one that was missing the two inch Kzin fangs.

The three friends and comrades in arms had spent the last several hours in deep space going through dog fighting exercises and practicing spectral vector attacks.

The Weave's military force was made up of all volunteers unlike the genetically programmed slave soldiers of the Clove. This meant that with millions less soldiers under arms all the Weave warriors pulled multiple duties as infantry, armor and pilots.

Whitney with his actual combat experience felt very comfortable on foot as a sniper scout even if he missed his AWM .338 Lapua Magnum sniper rifle. However Whitney knew that even with the fighter pilot training in the oxygenated fluorocarbon fluid tank he still needed to continually practice in real space to have any chance of survival in an actual outer space dog fight.

Lucky Clark and Puss'n'Boots were happy to take him out into real space every chance they got to put him through the paces.

Clark was a natural dog fighter but had the benefit of having been trained directly by his uncle the Kryptionian warrior Thor-el. Also add to that sixty years of combat experience it was no surprise he was one of the best attack fighter pilots in the galaxy. Likewise Puss'n'Boots was one of the most promising Kzin pilots having received personal training from her father Chuut Ritt, Thor-el and Clark.

Since Whitney had joined the Weave forces the Kzin Teenager and the Quarterback had become fast friends and complemented each other so well that squadron leader Clark decided to pair them up with Whitney acting as Puss'n'Boot's wing man.

The three friends flew out of the cold vacuum of space and landed in tandem on the Weave star cruiser's flight deck. It had been a good but intense training session and all three felt it was time for a little reward after the hard work.

For today the reward would come in the form of Commander Thor-el's birthday party. The one thousandth birthday of the greatest warrior in the galaxy promised to be quite the occasion with the party being held on the observation deck of the Weave star cruiser flagship.

After getting cleaned up the three friends headed to the party which had already been going on for a couple of hours. Clark carried the Hattari Hanzo sword as Thor-el's birthday present that he had picked up in Okinawa with Chuut Ritt on his last visit to earth just before their rescue of Whitney and Puss'n'Boots in North Korea.

The trio walked into the party which was going at full blast. Most of the guests were Kzin warriors that had served under Commander Thor-el but there were also quite of few of the support crew from Hivustahm doctors, Wasis linguists, Lepar technicians and programmers and the few Turlog surgeons with a couple drinks in each tentacle floating around wearing with their anti gravity belts.

When Whitney first arrived on the Weave Star Cruiser he had the usual xenophobic feelings typical of the human race toward anyone that was in any way different. Now after a few months on board the star cruiser he had lost for good that particular negative characteristic of a native of earth.

Most of his prejudice and fear had disappeared within a few minutes of being put back together by the Turlog surgeon with her multiple arms, gravity belt and soft invertebrate body.

Now today Whitney was completely comfortable in the multi species environment of a Weave crew birthday party. Whitney gave her a big smile of thanks as he reached up and took the three drinks offered to him and his friends by the Turlog surgeon floating past in her anti gravity belt with her tentacles stocked up with drinks.

Puss'n'Boots left the two Smallville crows to go cheer on her father Chuut Ritt who was getting into a few semi serious dueling contests with some of the younger Kzin warriors.

Clark waved to his Uncle who was surrounded by Kzin and caught Thor-el's eye. Thor-el excused himself from the band of Kzin warriors and made his way over to Clark and Whitney.

Whitney had never met Thor-el but of course he had heard about him. And most of what he had heard was both pretty scary and way out there in incredibleland.

Thor-el was about an inch taller than Clark and a bit broader in the shoulders but what really made an impression was not his physical presence as much as the aura of death that hung around the Krytonian warrior like a dark cloak. Whitney knew the reputation was not dressed up war stories or political propaganda but historical fact.

As Thor-el came over all Whitney's inner voice kept saying over and over was, 'Be careful and don't make him mad this guy has super emotions and has killed more people than I have seen live and I did a four month backpack trip through China.'

Clark smiled and said a greeting in a language that Whitney didn't speak from logistic training but he recognized the spoken Krypton language.

Thor-el spoke a few phrases to Clark in Krypton and then turned to Whitney and in slow but even English said, "It's a pleasure to meet you Whitney Fordman and I would like to personally express to you how happy I am that you have chosen to join the Weave."

Then Thor-el gave a short laugh and continued, "Surprised but still happy that you have joined us."

Whitney didn't quite know how to respond to the mixed message so took the middle route. "It's a pleasure to meet you Commander Thor-el. I am happy to be here and just want to do my part. However, I am curious why you are surprised?"

Thor-el gave Whitney a disarming smile and said, "Well there are two reasons; the first I have been listening to Clark in between battles for sixty years whine about being homesick for Smallville so to meet a Smallville native that chooses to leave is not what I expected. The second reason is in my several visits to Smallville I have never been that impressed with humans other than the Kent family and Pete Ross. Thus it is a nice surprise to meet someone such as you and discover that I maybe have made my mind up about the natives of Smallville too soon and there is hope for Smallville after all."

Whitney was intimidated by Thor-el; after all who wouldn't be but wanted to stand up as best he could for his home planet that everyone except Clark kept calling Smallville.

While looking up into the eyes of the most dangerous man in the galaxy Whitney delivered his response, "Commander Thor-el, I know we do not build star ships such as this and we do not place the importance on honor in society as the Kzin or are as compassionate as the Turlog but we are trying and some day I like to believe humans just might surprise even someone like you."

Thor-el leaned forward and gave Whitney a small tap on the shoulder, "Don't worry about waiting for someday Whitney Fordman for today on my birthday a native of Smallville has already impressed me."

Clark decided at this point in the party to give Thor-el his present of a samurai sword made by the great Okinawan sword maker Hattari Hanzo.

Thor-el slid the exquisite blade out of the black ebony scabbard, "This is incredible quality Clark," He then turned to Whitney and gestured with the samurai sword, "See Whitney you might not build star cruisers but here is something from Smallville that impresses even a old space war horse such as myself."

Whitney had heard of Hattari Hanzo and even knew how to use such a weapon due to the Kzin boot camp training from his three weeks in the oxygenated fluorocarbon fluid tank but felt compelled to point out, "It is a beautiful weapon and a great birthday gift Commander Thor-el but it's too bad that it will not be used other than as a work of art in this war of star cruisers and ray guns."

A tight look appeared on Thor-el's face, "That is where you are wrong Whitney. I will take this sword into combat and when doing so fully expect to put it to immediate and prolonged use against the Clove."

Confused looks appeared on the faces of both Clark and Whitney. "What do you mean?"

"Clark, while you were away on earth some surprising things happened."

Thor-el gave a sigh and continued his explanation. "The same way the Clove surprised us with green plasma based weapons against Krypton they have made another breakthrough in weapon's technology but with the help of weapons like this Hattari Hanzo sword we are going to be prepared for the next time they use it."

Thor-el then explained the new Clove secret weapon to Clark and Whitney.

It turned out that the Clove had discovered a way to create a portable "stasis field".

There was no way for Thor-el to explain the theoretical physics principles behind the stasis field to Whitney being that his Smallville High physics was like medieval alchemy compared to modern galaxy level physics but Whitney soon understood the "stasis field's" effects.

A stasis field was about a kilometer in diameter and hemispherical (in space, spherical).

Inside the stasis field there was no such thing as electromagnetic radiation; no electricity, no magnetism, no light. There was no sentient being in either the Weave or Clove that could survive in a status field without a fully enclosed protective space fighting suit.

Without the protective fighting suit the molecules in your body with no electromagnetic radiation would stop moving and you would instantly freeze.

The fact that there was no ordinary light inside the Clove 'stasis field' is what really freaked out Clark and Whitney. The first question the two had for Thor-el was since there is no electromagnetic radiation how can you see anything inside the stasis field?

Thor-el described it as being able to see your surroundings in ghostly monochrome. A phenomenon Thor-el explained to Whitney as being due to "phase transference of quasi-energy leaking through to the "stasis field" from an adjacent tachyon reality".

'Yea right, that makes perfect sense in a super futuristic advanced space/time physics kind of way,' thought the ex Smallville High physics student.

The net result of being inside a stasis field was it made all conventional weapons of modern galactic warfare useless unless you picked them up and used them as blunt objects to whack enemy soldiers over the head.

Even an armed nova bomb was just an inert lump of metal inside the "stasis field". Inside the field laser cannon and disrupter ray guns turned from high tech weapons into simple clubs.

Thor-el told Clark and Whitney that at first it looked like the Clove had developed the ultimate weapon. The first few times the Clove used the 'stasis fields' the Clove soldiers wore protective suits unlike their Kzin opponents.

The Clove soldiers were invulnerable inside the stasis field to all advanced high tech weapons. The Clove soldiers in their protective suits just carried the stasis field generator close to a dug in Kzin ground force and then turned on the 'stasis field'.

When the 'stasis field" came on line then all the Clove soldiers had to do is watch the Kzin instantly die where they stood as the molecules in their bodies instantly froze.

In five engagements where the Clove used the 'stasis field' weapon whole Weave bases were whipped out without a single Clove ground casualty. The stasis field neutralized the high tech weapons and Clove tactic was they had the advantage when winning a battle that came down to simple numbers. The Clove had millions more genetically modified slave soldiers so would win using the stasis field.

Clark saw the Clove's tactical logic and was scared to hear the answer but had to ask, "Thor-el that stasis field weapon sounds deadly like the green plasma based weapons used against Krypton; is it going to decisively tip the probability of victory to the Clove?"

Thor-el answered with a hard smile, "Now Clark don't count us out just yet." He went on to explain that there were two things the Clove forgot about regarding the stasis field that Thor-el soon figured out.

First, inside the stasis field high tech weapons didn't work but medieval edged weapons worked very well.

And second was even if numbers are on your side there are only so many soldiers that could fit into a stasis field. Even with vastly superior numbers the stasis field was like a bottle neck where you couldn't use superior numbers of soldiers all at once to overwhelm your opponent.

Most importantly no one thinking clearly would choose to engage Weave troops the majority of which are Kzin in hand to hand combat. After all no one loved hand to hand combat like the Kzin.

So Thor-el's plan was to be ready the next time the Clove used the stasis field weapon. The Kzin troops in the field had been issued protective fighting suits and also the medieval weapon of their choice. The Weave were not going to be caught out again without putting up a fight.

The next time Weave troops were in a stasis field Thor-el was going to be sure they all were wearing protective suits but importantly also carrying spears, swords and battle axes that they would put to good use cutting through the protective suits of the Clove soldiers that were carrying the stasis field generator.

Thor-el held up the Hattari Hanzo and gave a scary smile to Whitney, "So see even in a high tech war this birthday present is going to taste blood. Next time we go up against Clove soldiers using a stasis field I will be carrying this sword and it will work its magic so you could not think of a more appropriate birthday present for this space warrior."

After hearing about the stasis field and how a Hanzo Samari sword was going to be useful in a war in outer space Whitney just thought, 'Christ on a cracker, when fighting this war I have to stop thinking that I have been surprised for the last time."

Thor-el leaned forward and softly said to Clark and Whitney, "You asked me Clark about a decisive weapon that could change the course of the war. The stasis field is important but not that weapon. However I have an idea that still needs some more testing but it could just be the break though we have been searching for centuries to win this war."

Thor-el leaned back, "War, even a high tech war in space is still about movement and the most important is fast movement that flanks your enemy. Whether on horseback with spears or in warp attack fighters appearing on your enemies flank when they least expect it is still the surest route to victory."

Clark could feel the hairs rising on the back of his head. His uncle was a military and scientific genius and never prone to exaggeration. Clark knew what Thor-el was going to tell them would be both fantastic science and in the war for the galaxy strategically decisive.

Thor-el had discovered something that would allow them to flank the Clove battle lines and fleets. It was not only faster than warp drive and had more range than artificial jump gates but also very sneaky.

Thor-el doing physics research in between battles had discovered a phenomenon that he called the collapsar jump.

In simple Smallville High physics terms: Just fling an object like a Warp star cruiser at a black hole at certain speed and a particular angle to the black hole's event horizon and guess what?

Instead of being torn apart by gravity or rushing headlong to nowhere for the rest of eternity or dropping to the center of the black hole in a trillionth of a second the star cruiser pops out in some other part of the galaxy.

It didn't take Thor-el long to figure out the formula that predicts where the object or star cruiser would come out in the galaxy.

It turned out the object or star cruiser travels along the same 'super string' (actually an Einsteinium geodesic) it would have followed in the black hole hadn't been in the way. That is until it reaches another black hole gravitational field where upon it reappears traveling with the same speed at which it approached the original black hole.

And now come the cool part: The time to travel between the two black holes…. exactly zero.

Sweet, cool and just the advantage needed to tip the balance of power in the galactic war.

Faster than warp drive and no ion trails to warn the enemy where you are going or that you are coming. There will be no warning at all to the Clove fleet when the Weave star cruiser suddenly appears on its flank after doing a collapse star to the nearest black hole. Weave ships would be appearing on the flanks and behind Clove battle fleets seemingly out of no where.

There were still some practical issues to solve like it was going to be a big job mapping all the black holes big enough to handle a collapse star jump but solving them could mean winning the war.

The surprise was it turned out that the black hole didn't have to be all that big. A black hole could create a collapsar jump if it was at least two kilometers in diameter suspended forever in a state of gravitational collapse with its surface falling toward its center at nearly the speed of light.

The reality was that black holes that fit the bill were all over the place and to take back the galaxy "all over the place" was exactly where Thor-el, Clark and the rest of the Weave star cruisers were going to go.

Each of them had a different reaction to the discovery of the collapsar jump.

Thor-el thought of revenge for the destruction of Krypton and finally victory in the galaxy for freedom.

Clark for the first time in sixty years caught a glimpse of a light illuminating his return to Smallville at the end of a very long dark tunnel of galaxy war.

Whitney just thought, "How freaking Star Trek can this place get?"

The collapsar jump still need to be tested and would be an important and decisive advantage but it would still mean the war would last for years.

For now Thor-el was going to do some more testing to get better control over the collapsar jump. What the future held for Clark, Puss'n'Boots and Whitney was they were all together going into combat.

The campaign they were joining was the battle for the Masood planet.

There was a powerful race in the galaxy called the Mansood who like Krypton before had tried to follow a policy of isolation. They declined to join the Weave and instead counted on diplomacy and indifference to keep the Clove from invading their world. As with Krypton of course such a policy of isolation failed.

Intelligence reports had come in to the Weave fleet that the Mansood were in a desperate losing land battle on the surface of their home planet with a powerful Clove army. There were many in the Weave that wanted to leave the Mansood to their fate remembering their earlier refusal to help the Weave but fortunately Thor-el and Chuut Ritt convinced the Weave council to set politics and prejudice aside and instead do the right thing and go to the rescue of the Mansood.

Thor-el would not be joining the campaign but would be working on the collapsar jump algorithms. The Weave leader would instead be Chuut Ritt with Clark, Puss'n'Boots and Whitney all joining their unit that with many others was being mobilized for the campaign to free the Mansood planet.

The shipping out date for Clark and his friends was still some time off and there would be plenty of time to get Whitney up to speed piloting his attack fighter and to get the presents sorted out and delivered for Ryan's graduation from Smallville High.

Just before Thor-el walked away to return to center stage for his birthday celebrations Clark reminded him about Ryan's big day at Smallville High, "Now Thor-el this is important to Ryan so I expect you to come up with a thoughtful card expressing your sentiments and please no advanced weaponry as a graduation present."

Just before he turned to walk off Thor-el gave Clark a grin, "Ok, ok, no advanced weapons; I promise to only give Ryan the standard issue stuff."

Clark just shook his head laughing as his Uncle Thor-el walked away.

Whitney put his arm on Clark's shoulder and watched Thor-el back moving away into the crowd. "Jesus Clark I can't tell you how relieved I am to have survived this meeting with your Uncle and thank God he is on our side."

Clark turned to Whitney, "Yea, he is quite a character, but you know Whitney more than that when it comes to most things, in fact everything, he is the best there is."

Then the two Smallville crows decided to join the party by finding Puss'n'Boots and help her cheer on her father's dueling and party tricks.

…….To be continued as Part 37: Smallville High Graduation Day where Ryan's graduation presents are being delivered by the Krypton Express.

PS Guess what recently divorced lawyer is going to be at the Smallville High Graduation ceremonies to congratulate both the twins and Ryan and little does she know is in for a real surprise?


	37. A Call To Arms Part 37

Part 37: Smallville High Graduation Day where Ryan's Graduation Presents are being delivered by the Krypton Express.

Whitney and Clark were in the Weave star cruisers gym putting on their sport helmets and fighting gloves for a game of Kzin Wall Ball. Of course as expected since this sport had been invented by the Kzin don't let the innocent name of Wall Ball fool you. It was less of a sport and more of a wild gladiator melee.

Today Clark, Whitney and Puss'n'Boots were playing three Kzin from one of the other Weave fleet battle groups. The opposing team consisted of a stocky Kzin male and two cute twin Kzin girls who must have stood on tiptoe to make the minimum height requirement for the Weave Star Fleet.

The Kzin twins kept checking out Clark and Whitney while almost sparkling as they suited up in their protective gear while making soft purring comments to each other in a strange upland dialect of Kzin.

Puss'n'Boots recognized them as an obvious pair of twin "wet behind the ears" Kzin cubs coming into heat and decided to get the game going before the game stopped being Wall Ball and turned into Rape Ball for the obvious victims Clark and Whitney.

To burn off all the extra sexual energy sparking through the air Puss'n'Boots proposed they agree to play a variable gravity Wall Ball game which was immediately seconded by the Kzin twin girls while Clark as usual thinking of everyone's safety made his standard weak protest.

"Its more fun and the only way to play," said Puss'n'Boots as she set the artificial gravity control of the Wall Ball court for random gravity changes. "You'll see Clark."

"Yea, out of black eyes, said Clark, "Come on it's just too dangerous and uncertain. I hate at any second having a lunge for the ball turned into an unplanned dive and then end up in a floating rebound."

The Kzin twin girl's Suli and Sim on cue pulled back their lips to expose their long white teeth to Clark. "You come on Clark; you get to enjoy nothing but excitement in your attack fighter while we are stuck on the bridge over the scan terminals. Variable G Wall Ball is the only excitement we have to look forward to after a bridge watch," the Kzin twins batted their huge yellow eyes at Clark, "but you can change that any night you choose."

Clark just rolled his eyes thinking, 'why can't Kzin females just play without turning everything into either a life and death competition or an interspecies orgy?'

For Clark being an ace attack fighter jock meant that every horny Kzin girl on the ship high on a whiff of alpha male testosterone never stopped hitting on him. And being Kzin females a lot of the time being romantically hit on actually ended up being really hit; like in punches being thrown if you didn't cave in to their advances. When Kzin females came into heat there was not a safe alpha male of any mammal species on the star cruiser that was free from sexual harassment.

Also he didn't buy their story of no excitement on the bridge for the scan group. Whitney had told Clark earlier the story of how the Kzin twins had earned their names on their last mission when the bridge of their star cruiser took a direct photon torpedo hit while their shields were off line.

Surrounded by the dead and dying the Kzin twins had stayed at their posts and kept scanning for Clove fighters to keep the Weave fighter wings from being bounced by surprise. Then the twins took turns either passing on intelligence updates through the smoke and heat to the Weave fighter wings in deep space or fighting the fire on the star cruiser bridge and then carrying the wounded to safety. Those Kzin twins had enough drama without adding variable G Wall Ball to their lives.

Whitney didn't help Clark's argument much by standing behind him and Puss'n'Boots blowing kisses at the Kzin twins and pointing at Clark while the twins beamed 1000 watt smiles back at both of them.

An hour later bruised and sweaty both teams staggered out of the Wall Ball courts to find they had plenty of spectators. "Chickens," said on the Kzin twins to those watching through the high windows of the Wall Ball court.

"It's easier on you shorties," Whitney said, "If all the blood rushes to your head, it doesn't have time to go as fast."

Clark said nothing; his stomach was still arguing about which way was up and he was glad he had eaten so little for lunch. Clark refused an invitation to take a cooling swim with the flirting Kzin twins leaving the avenue open for Whitney to score some twin action. Instead he just gave a quick wave as two pairs of big yellow eyes batted like crazy at him.

Watching the Kzin twins walking away Clark reminded himself he really had to get cracking on a couple presents for Nell's twin girls Lisa and Leslie back on earth who would be graduating from Smallville High with Ryan.

……..a couple days later and 10 million light years from the Kzin Wall Ball game…

It was a beautiful Kansas spring day of sunshine and scented air as the graduates of Smallville High walked across the stage when their names were read out to collect their diplomas.

Lana cheered and whistled while Nell got misty eyed as the Lisa and Leslie made the walk holding hands across the stage together. Lana had made her peace with Dean after he moved Nell and his twin daughters back to Smallville and she was sorry that he past away two years ago. It made Lana kind of blue that Dean who had been such a great father wasn't here to enjoy days like this one. He would have been so proud of the twins.

Lana looked over at her Aunt Nell as proud tears ran down her face. Lana always knew her Aunt Nell really was special. Nell had never had children of her own but had been a great mother to her and now was raising the twins who adored her doing an excellent job. All those writers of fairy tails about evil stepmothers never met her Aunt Nell and Martha Kent. Lana turned back to the stage and whooped as the twins beamed mirror image smiles at her and Nell.

Also joining Lana at the Smallville High graduation was Lex who earlier in the ceremony handed out ten Luther Corp University scholarships to lucky graduates. Lex was sitting just behind her and Nell with the Kents as Ryan hit the stage to do his "too cool for school" stroll across the stage to pick up his ticket for the next phase of life.

Everyone in the crowd started to cheer when Ryan appeared on stage. He had hit all the papers from the Smallville to Metropolis when just a month ago he had snuck away to Los Vegas with over $10,000 dollars he got from selling his Jeep Wrangler that Jonathan and Martha had bought him at the start of senior year. Ryan headed straight to the Horseshoe casino and entered the World Poker Championship. Then to everyone's surprise except much later his parents Ryan the youngest person in history to win the World Poker Championship.

Ryan had won a million dollars taking the final pot of the tournament from two time world champion fifty year old Jimmy Chen. No one had ever seen anything like it. A high school student taking the world poker championship was unprecedented. The ESPN announcer had commented that after watching Ryan in the tournament it appeared almost like Ryan could read the mind of anyone trying to bluff him. Jonathan started choking on his beer when that comment came at him while he was sitting in the living room stunned to find himself looking at Ryan being interviewed on ESPN.

Then after getting back to Smallville to push the story from simple local human interest to the front page Ryan had donated the entire million in winnings to child services in an even split between Smallville and Grandville.

Ryan of course gave Chloe an exclusive interview and she wrote the story "Ex Orphan Poker Champion donates a Million" and when she submitted her article to Perry White it became her first byline in the Daily Planet.

Ryan had told Lana earlier that he was going to study physiology at Metropolis U and wanted to go into Law Enforcement as a hostage negotiator and suspect interrogator. Lana knew she sure didn't want to be a criminal in a room trying to keep secrets while being interrogated by Ryan Kent. He was so intuitive around people it was a little scary.

The graduation ceremony finished and then after pictures, squeals, hugs and kisses the decision was made to go to the Talon for celebration ice cream and cake. It would be a good chance for everyone has a quick bite and relax a little after the excitement of the graduation ceremony.

The plan was later, after the Talon everyone would head for their respective homes so the twins and Ryan could change and freshen up before heading out that evening for the obligatory last high school party of their lives.

Lex delivered his instructions on his cell phone to the pilot sending his helicopter out to the Kent farm where he would meet it later in the afternoon for his return to Metropolis. Ryan tried to stay with Lex and his parents but was intercepted and dragged by the love sick twins into Nell's car for the ride to the Talon.

Lex gave Ryan a quick wave along with a knowing smirk to the twins just before he joined the Kents in their truck for the drive over to the Talon.

Martha and Jonathan laughed as Lex told them about the exchange he had with Ryan on stage at the beginning of the ceremony as he handed Ryan one of the Luthor Corp university scholarships.

What the Kents didn't expect was that Lex instead of a nice amusing antidote about their son was instead going to finish with a real conversation stopper.

Lex's eyes narrowed as he watched for a reaction as he told his story to the Kents. "So I handed the cocky little guy the Luthor Corp scholarship and said he was lucky to have such a high grade point average. Ryan just smiled at me and said luck had nothing to do with it because Clark had given him a complete tutorial cube that branded the entire curriculum onto his brain."

Lex paused a second for effect and then said, "What did Ryan mean by that?"

The blood ran out of both their faces as Martha gasped and Jonathan almost took out a mailbox with the truck.

Lex just smirked at the Kents and followed up with, "I thought so. I have spent years and thousands of dollars looking for Clark around all around the world and here he is tutoring Ryan with something called a cube? What is that? Is it some kind of high tech storage device?"

Jonathan recovered first and answered with a weak lie. "It's nothing Lex but just slang that Ryan uses for Clark's old high school notes. Clark was a great note taker. Really good with detail and Ryan just found Clark's old notes in a trunk in the loft and used them as a study guide for final exams."

Lex looked at Jonathan Kent and thought the only worst liar he has ever seen in action was the teenage hero of Smallville, Clark Kent himself.

"Ok, Mr Kent if you say so. To be honest there is a reason this year why I volunteered to come from Metropolis to take over Gabe Sullivan's job of handing out the Luthor Corp Scholarships. I mean seeing Ryan was graduating I would have come any way but I was just hoping or maybe it was really just dreaming that Clark might make an appearance for Ryan's graduation."

The fight went out of Lex as he looked out the truck window at Smallville's main street and thinking aloud he said, "I just miss having someone as a real friend that accepts me and I know is never trying to butter me up or play me."

Lex turned back to the Kents and managed a weak smile, "He really was my best and maybe other than Ryan my only true friend. I mean Lana and Chloe are great but they are girls and Ryan is a lot younger than me so it's not the same as having Clark as a friend. I guess I really should stop grasping at straws."

Martha reached over to touch Lex's arm just as Jonathan pulled up to the Talon parking behind Nell's car. "Lex you have to know that Clark misses you as much as you do him and he always asks about you."

Martha bent down to meet Lex's eyes, "And Lex I want to you know how proud I am to tell Clark what you have done with your life; how you have used your money and power to do so much good. And it's not just Clark both Jonathan and I are proud of you Lex and you should be proud of yourself. It would have been very easy to follow the same road as your father but you through your own efforts rose above it and chose your own path to greatness."

Lex always being the outsider uncomfortably cleared his throat, "Thanks Mrs. Kent that means a lot to me." Lex opened the door and stepped out to quickly turn around and help Martha out of the truck.

After the last exchange the atmosphere, Lex felt was getting a little too somber for a celebration so decided to quickly lightened the mood, "Well, lets get inside, you proud Kent parents before Smallville High's newest graduates eat all the ice cream and cake." Martha and Jonathan gave him a warm smile and they all walked into the Talon together.

Nell, Ryan and the twins were sitting together waiting for Lana who assigned herself waitress duties and was behind the counter dishing out the ice cream and cake. Everyone sang out their hellos. Then Lex and Jonathan pushed two tables together so everyone could sit as a single group. The two men then went over to the counter to ferry back the cappuccinos and deserts as Lana made them.

Soon everyone had what they wanted on a plate in front of them and the group settled down and started to chat as they waited for the sugar rush.

Martha being the proud mother asked Ryan to show everyone his Luthor Corp scholarship. So Ryan stood up and leaned over the table to unravel his Luthor Corp scholarship and was showing everyone when the front doors to the Talon opened.

Bright sunlight from the mid afternoon sky spilled into darker Talon as a tall well build familiar figure stepped in from the outside.

Ryan was holding his Luthor Corp scholarship open and everyone was watching him as his jaw dropped and he gave a little squeal. For a second time stopped and then the whole table turned around to see what it was behind them that Ryan was staring at.

It was what no one expected but everyone hoped for.

There he stood; as large as life.

He was standing in the Talon front doorway holding the door open with one hand and in the other held a clear shopping bag from Fordman's superstore filled with four or five gift wrapped presents.

The sunlight from the street shown from behind him enveloping him like an aura to then spill around his black helmet, visor and black body suit. From the mansion barbecue so many years ago a familiar skull on his chest looked back at every sitting at the two tables through empty eye sockets.

Lana Lang's dropped her spoon into her bowl of raspberry ice cream. The same raspberry flavor for which Lana Lang have devolved a fetish ever sense Clark's birthday party in the loft.

Lana's stomach tried to do a slow motion backwards flip flop but seriously miss timed the landing and smacked hard into her ass.

He then stepped forward now completely inside the Talon and leaned down to set Fordman shopping bag filled with presents on the floor while at the same time releasing the door. The front door to the Talon slowly swung closed cutting off the bright sunlight from the room.

Ryan's hands opened and the Luther Corp scholarship fell to the floor. Ryan turned and started to run around the table. Then the figure standing just inside the Talon's front doors held up a gloved right hand stopping Ryan who then skidded to a halt.

Lex's jaw just hung open, Martha and Jonathan beamed, the twin's eyes were stuck on flying saucer wide open and Nell not having been shagged in a while felt a wave of testosterone hit her so she quickly crossed her legs as she went into spontaneous major panty flow.

Then tall figure reached up and lifted the helmet with black visor from his head.

Even sitting down Lana felt her knees go weak.

To be Continued as Past 38: 10 million Light Years to Fresh Apple Pie


	38. A Call To Arms Part 38

Part 38: 10 Million Light Years to Fresh Apple Pie

Lana held her breath as butterflies the size of B-52s did a formation fly-by in her stomach.

The B-52 Butterflies were quickly replaced with a confused gut feeling when instead of the expected tasseled black hair out from under the Weave fighter jock helmet there appeared a bright orange Mohawk mullet with blond sides.

A moment later looking at all of them in the Talon was Clark's eyes in the face of not a Kansas farm boy but a one thousand year old Kryptonite warrior.

While the wheels in everyone else's head started to spin in circles the Kent family simultaneously released a scared moan.

Thor-el quickly took control of the situation and reassured the Kent's in English, "Don't worry, he is ok but is on a mission and couldn't make Ryan's graduation so he asked me to be the delivery boy."

Thor-el smiled at Ryan, "I am sorry Ryan I missed the ceremony but I had to see Betty Fordman to give her a message from Whitney. However please accept my congratulations and best wishes to your future."

Ryan then blasted back into high gear and ran around the table and grabbed Thor-el to give him a big hug. "Thanks for coming Uncle Thor-el; it means a lot to me. I mean I really wish Clark was here; I mean; also here but I am still happy that you were able to come."

Ryan released Thor-el and quickly asked him, "What about everyone else? Is Puss'n'boots ok?"

On hearing that question Lana started to pull her self back to functioning consciousness. 'Where had she heard that fairy tale name? Think. That's it.' Martha Kent said Puss'n'boots was the name of that walking weretiger thing that was in Clark's loft when she staked out the Kent farm.

Thor-el quickly answered Ryan's questions to put him at ease, "Everyone is fine Ryan, it's just that a new battle campaign started and they all got called up to ship out except for me. I have some other duties to take care of so was able to make the trip to Smallville."

Then Thor-el turned and pointed to the Fordman Store shopping bag of gifts that were lying over on the floor just inside the door.

"Everyone says hi, congratulations and most importantly wanted me to give you your graduation presents. In that bag you have a present from everyone. Clark, Puss'n'boots, Whitney, Me and surprisingly enough in between battles and dodging attacks from his male cubs Chuut Ritt got a present for you and even wrapped it himself."

Thor-el cocked one eyebrow at Ryan, "As you can most likely guess Chuut Ritt's gift is the one where the wrapping is pretty tore up. He is not really a Martha Stewart kind of guy."

Ryan started to move toward the presents but Thor-el's seeing the wave of panic cross the faces of Jonathan and Martha quickly dropped his hand onto Ryan's shoulder.

"Ah, Ryan, why don't you wait until we get back to the Kent farm before opening them? I think these are more private that most of the more usual Smallville kind of presents."

Thor-el then met Ryan's eyes in direct contact and in a very serious authoritative tone said, "Also be sure not to shake the presents from Chuut Ritt and myself before you open them and make sure, very sure you take your time opening them. It's no big but they are kind of delicate."

Ryan caught on in a second and suddenly a beaming smile appeared on his face while Jonathan and Martha shot each other the standard concerned parent look that happens all the time in the world of the Kent family.

Ryan defected the look of curiosity the twins were giving him. "You are right Uncle Thor-el and it would be rude to open all the presents now. Come on and join us while I get you a piece of Mom's apple pie."

"Now that rocks. Ryan, I have traveled a long way to hear the words Fresh Apple Pie."

Thor-el then looked at the table and seemingly for the first time noticed that there were other people in the room besides the Kents.

Martha and Jonathan recovered from the 'presents from outer space' revelation and gave Thor-el dual warm smiles and a quick hug but both Lana and Lex picked up on the vibe that the Kents really wanted to privately ask Thor-el for more personal news about Clark.

Nell and the twin girls were still staring at Thor-el and all three of them had a look like a deer caught in the headlights of a big black 18 wheeler.

The first of them to recover from the dramatic entrance of the tall muscular stranger after the Kents was Nell. She gave Martha and Jonathan a pointed look combined with a twitch of her head and a roll of very interested brown eyes.

Martha quickly stepped in to do the introductions, "Sorry Nell, we were just a little overwhelmed with the surprise entrance. I would like to introduce Thor-el who is Clark's Uncle and Thor-el this is our neighbor and old friend Nell and her daughters Leslie and Lisa."

Martha paused for a second and as casually as she could say, "And I am sure you remember meeting Lana and Lex."

Thor-el as greeting flashed his own version of the Kent smile around the room. Nell held out her hand and gave a little shiver as Thor-el took it in his large hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you Thor-el," Nell said in a clear voice while Lex and Lana just mumbled something intelligible.

Nell gave Thor-el a flirty smile and then said his name slow sounding out the syllables like she was trying to remember it. "That is a very unique name you have; could you tell me where it is from?"

Hearing the direct question on instinct Lana and Lex both leaned forward hungry for any scrap of information.

Thor-el gave Nell a charming smile back and answered, "It's from a long way away from Smallville and…….vaguely Nordic in origin."

Nell smiled and nodded her head but instead of taking in the information for processing was thinking. 'If only I was twenty years younger I would be all over this man!'

Thor-el gave Nell another smile and then turned to the twins. "So you two must be Leslie and Lisa the girls that Clark met ridding and driving. Clark said you guys were "2 cute" but he forgets to mention also beautiful." Thor-el paused for a second, "I wonder why he would forget to tell me that?...Maybe he was trying to keep you two for himself?"

The twins no longer being cute high school juniors but sophisticated and beautiful graduates held off the giggle fit and instead choked out a thank you for the complement.

Thor-el in mega flirt mode followed up with, "Now Clark knew you two were also graduating with Ryan so he included presents for both of you. So these are your graduation presents from Clark Kent the Lone Ranger of Smallville High."

Thor-el reached out opening his large hand and seeming out of thin air there appeared two small jewelry box size presents wrapped in light pink paper each tied with a ruby red ribbon.

The twins gave out a little gasp and after the usual polite protests met of course with Thor-el's insistence each twin took a present. Thor-el gestured with his hands, "Come on, go ahead, and open them."

A few seconds later each twin was holding in between her hands a delicate necklace with a tear drop cut flawless 2 cart diamond hanging from the gold chain.

Lisa and Leslie stared at the diamond necklaces in their hands the then finally they both looked up at Thor-el in stunned silence.

Nell started to approach hyperventilation but the effort to control creaming her panties on the spot took enough concentration to keep her self under control.

Thor-el grinned at them, "So does Clark's taste in jewelry meet with your ladies approval?"

The twins and Nell tried to protest diamond necklaces were too expensive but Thor-el just smiled and said Clark never had to buy them but found the diamonds and had Puss'n'Boots cut and mount them. So there wasn't any bill to worry about so best of the luck for the future and enjoy.

The twins managed to squeak out a surprised thank you.

Thor-el noticing that Ryan kept eyeing the Fordman shopping bag gave Ryan a sly wink. "No, not now, for now just check out the gifts that Clark got the ladies. There will be plenty of time later to open your presents and get them assembled out at the farm."

Ryan just answered with a knowing smile and went over to the table so their twins could show him their new diamond necklaces.

Thor-el joined the group at the first table and sat down between Nell and Martha and straddled the area between the two tables. He continued to chat with Nell and the twins and occasionally turning back to Martha and Jonathan as they commented or added an insight to the conversation. In a few minutes Thor-el was finished his piece of Martha's apple pie.

"That was excellent Martha. I know I sometimes give Smallville grief but it is your apple pie that convinces me civilization on Smallville is possible."

Martha gave Thor-el a weak smile while Jonathan mouthed to a confused Nell, "He's foreign!"

Lex and Lana just stared at Thor-el never taking their eyes off of him. Thor-el simply ignored them and spent his time in small talking with the Kents and flirting with Nell and the twins.

Martha picked up Thor-els empty plate and walk over to the counter. As she did so Martha decided it was time to get things moving since Thor-el was simply too comfortable being a space alien and seemed not to remember that earth had never made interstellar contact.

So Martha got things moving by casually saying, "Well that is about it for the Talon pit stop so Nell thanks for coming and don't worry about helping clean up. I will take care of it by putting the men to work while you get the twins home so they have time to get ready for their post graduation party."

Nell wanted to stay and talk more with the tall handsome foreigner with the unusual hair cut so briefly protested even though she did need to change her panties and to be honest was getting a little concerned that a musty aroma around her was starting to over power the Talon's usual signature smell of fresh hot apple pie.

She really did need to hit the showers pretty bad and then change into some fresh lingerie.

So thinking fast to get Nell and the girls to leave Martha quickly invited Nell over to the Kent farm to spend the evening after the twins and Ryan leave for their final high school party.

Thor-el picked up on Martha's intention and with a warm smile backed up by a subtle testosterone blast quickly told Nell he looked forward to having a more intimate conversation with her that evening at the Kent farm.

Just as Nell moved past Thor-el he reached up to stop her by taking a firm but soft grip on her upper arm. Thor-el leaned in a whispered in Nell's ear, "When I see you later I hope you are wearing something dramatic and stagey…..even if it is under those clothes."

Nell gave a little gasp. She had no idea why this tall handsome man who looked in his early thirties was flirting with her forty eight year old body but after two years as a widow she wasn't going to look a Greek god gift horse in the mouth.

Nell decided she wanted to get home and washed up as quickly as possible so gathered the twins who were now modeling their new diamond necklaces to everyone in the Talon and bundled them together to steer them out the door.

Over her shoulder Nell asked Lana if she was coming with them but Lana said she would stay with Lex and the Kents for now at the Talon and come out to the Potter farm a little later.

A few moments later Nell and the twins were gone and now an uncomfortable silence descended between Martha and Jonathan and Lex and Lana.

Meanwhile Thor-el and Ryan had moved over to the Fordman shopping bag and were quietly looking over Ryan's still wrapped gifts and chatting about Puss'n'Boots.

Lana looked across the table at the stone faces of Martha and Jonathan Kent. The Kents didn't bat an eye but just got interested in looking around the room. Lana then crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back in her chair. Lana looked straight in the eye once again to each of the Kents. Nothing; nothing at all.

Lana crossed her legs and started to tap the air with her foot. After a moment she said to Martha and Jonathan, "Well I see now where the teenage poker champion of the world got his poker face."

At Lana's observation Martha kind of winced and Jonathan lost his forced smile and just started to look really constipated.

Lana looked at Lex to see what he thought of all this and Lex still didn't look like he had recovered from the surprise appearance of Thor-el. Lex was not looking at the Kents but was staring at Thor-el with a wild look in his eyes.

In fact if anything to Lana it looked like Lex instead of taking control of the situation to start maneuvering toward a Kent family interrogation instead looked like he was slipping out of control. Lex's hands started to shake but then he clasped them together tightly to stop.

Then to the surprise of everyone at the table Lex suddenly stood up and walked over to open his brief case that he had left sitting on the Talon's desert counter.

Lex took something out of his brief case and turned back to face Thor-el. Lex had developed a twitch over his left eye and his upper lip quivered revealing the inner fight to keep a hold of himself.

Lana's glanced back and forth quickly between Lex and where Thor-el and Ryan stood together with the Fordman shopping bag. Martha and Jonathan noticed the sarcastic look of an interrogator had disappeared from Lana's face to be replaced with worry and confusion. They turned around in their chairs to see what about Lex was concerning Lana.

There standing at the Talon's counter was a crazy looking Lex pointing a Glock 9mm automatic at the center of Thor-el's chest.

For the first time since Thor-el appeared Lana ignored him as she locked her eyes on Lex.

When Lex spoke the first few words were in control and then his voice broke to that of a deranged wild man.

"No more bullshit, tell me where Clark is or you're a dead man."

Thor-el pulled Ryan to his feet and pushed him over to the Kents.

Then with a deadly calm Thor-el answered Lex, "I am a lot of things but a dead man or even a living man is not one of them."

Both Lex and Lana due to tension and confusion blanked out the details of the weird answer and instead just heard a negative.

Jonathan started to stand up but Thor-el waved him down and Martha caught his arm. Thor-el didn't take his eyes off Lex but spoke quietly to Jonathan. "It really doesn't matter but it's easier if you don't get between me and him."

Lex's hands were shaking as sweat started to run down the side of his face. "I am not joking. Tell me where you have Clark or you are dead."

The tension was so thick in the air you could cut it with a knife. Lana frozen watched the scene unfold in front of her like it was like some crazy late night movie which she found on some cable channel during an insomnia attack.

Jonathan softly addressed Thor-el, "Please don't kill him Thor-el. He is just upset and no threat."

Thor-el gave his answer, "It's not the threat that is the issue. It's a weapon being pointed at me so now it's a point of honor to be paid for by blood."

Jonathan and Martha gasped but before they could say anything a deranged looking Lex cut in, "Not a threat? Just look at this gun. I have the drop on you and will empty the whole magazine into you unless you tell me where you have taken Clark."

"I didn't take Clark anywhere. Clark made the choice to leave with me."

Ryan didn't know what to do but quickly focused his mind in to lock onto Lex. Lex's thoughts were a jumble of hate, fear and desperation. Then a logical thought came through and Ryan felt chills as he realized just how wrong Lex was going to be.

Ryan quickly spoke up, "Lex, I know what you are thinking. You are thinking that no one can be as fast as you suspect Clark was. Well, you are right about Clark being fast but also wrong because Uncle Thor-el is even faster than Clark. Please stop because he will take your life."

Thor-el appeared to be losing patience and was trying to decide if he should give Lex one chance at staying alive or instead just tear him apart. In a few hundreds of a second Thor-el made his decision.

With a casual air Thor-el gave Lex his one chance to stay alive.

"Now Lex you simply have two choices." Thor-el held out his right arm and opened the hand with the palm facing up. "Either you put that quaint toy weapon away or in a couple seconds the last thing you see as you die will be your bloody heart still beating in the palm of my hand? Choose well."

Two drops of sweat ran from Lex's bald head down his right cheek. As they fell off his face Lex's inborn instinct for survival kicked in over riding his emotions. His arm fell in a jerking motion to the side pointing the Glock's black barrel at the coffee shop's floor.

Lex started to pant in and out to try to get his breath back and then turned to drop the black 9mm automatic into his brief case that was still open on the Talon's counter.

Lex started to get himself under control and turned back toward Thor-el and the table full of relieved faces.

Everyone at the table was breathing sighs of relief while Thor-el just looked some where between vaguely amused and like he could be day dreaming about solving algebra equations in his head.

Lex didn't know why but he felt that the last time he had been this close to death was years ago during the mansion barbecue when he was being held straight arm by the throat with his legs dancing around trying to find a solid footing on a foot of air.

Lex said in a weak voice to a bored looking Thor-el, "I need to know where Clark is; I want to see him."

"You want a lot of things that you don't deserve and that request is just one of them."

"Why won't you tell us; Lana and me?"

Because it's not my choice to make but Clark's choice. He knew you couldn't handle it. You would exploit him…." Thor-el turned to point at Lana, "And she would freak out."

Thor-el turned back to Lex, "Clark knew you, Lana and Chloe too well Lex, that's why he knew Pete was the only one that could handle the truth. Even then he never told Pete by choice. Pete found out by accident."

Thor-el lost interest in the conversation and turned to smile at the Kents, "Why don't you guys head back out to the farm and I will join you in a little while."

Jonathan and Martha shot each other a look and then turned wide eyed at Thor-el. Thor-el settled them down, "Don't worry, they are in no danger. I am just going to have another piece of pie; after all it's so long for me between pieces of pie. And then a short conversation with these two."

Jonathan and Martha knew there was no arguing with Thor-el and gave Ryan a look that told him to pack up his presents because they were leaving.

Jonathan made an attempt to try to communicate the gravity of the situation to Lex and Lana. He looked directly at both of them and simply said, "Danger takes many forms; don't do anything foolish." Then he looked over at Lex's open briefcase on the Talon's counter. "I mean anything else foolish."

Lex looked like a startled hare but appeared to have himself under control. While Lana was anxious but aware of the scene.

They quickly sorted out logistics. Lex told the Kents that he would send a car out to pick up his helicopter pilot waiting at the Kent farm because he had decided to stay the night in his Smallville mansion.

Lana decided on the spot to say at Nell's over night and told Jonathan and Martha they should get Ryan home and she could go out to the Potter house in the car Lex was sending for his helicopter pilot.

Everyone said their quick goodbyes and in few moments Jonathan and Martha with Ryan carrying the Fordman Shopping bag of his graduation presents bringing up the rear.

Thor-el called after them, "Don't forget Ryan not to shake the presents from Chuut Ritt and myself and be careful opening them. I will be out before long and will help you do the assembly. Don't start without me."

Ryan give Thor-el a smile and shot a worried look at Lex and Lana and followed his parents through the Talon's front door and out to their truck to go back to the farm.

The front door to the Talon swung shut and once again the sounds of Smallville's main street were cut off from the interior of the coffee shop.

Lex and Lana were setting at one of the tables looking at the tall muscular figure in black. He turned back to them and as always the large white skull on his chest grinning at them caused a shutter to run through them both.

Thor-el walked over and Lana watching him move for some reason thought of flexible steel.

Thor-el stopped and looked at them both, "Now what am I going to do with you to?"

To be continued as Part 39: Talon Special Menu: Apple Pie and Aliens!


	39. A Call To Arms Part 39

Part 39: Talon Special Menu: Apple Pie and Aliens!

Lana looked at Thor-el and it suddenly hit her just how different he was from anyone else she had ever seen in her life. Everyone she had ever seen in her life except someone called Clark Kent.

In a flash revelation that flooded her consciousness Lana had all doubt disappear that Thor-el was anything else but Clark's blood relative.

When Thor-el moved he exhibited that same economy of grace that she had only ever seen in one other human being. Nothing wasted, always efficient and compact but with the vibe rolling under the surface of controlled and contained but ever present immense power waiting to explode out when called upon.

Whitney had seen it. Lana remembered now like it was yesterday. Whitney sitting with her after they had finished respectively cheerleading and football practice.

It was junior year and Clark was out playing soccer while Whitney studied the shy farm boy in the pick up game. Whitney pointed out to her time and time again when Clark Kent consciously slowed down or fumbled the ball coming onto his foot all on purpose.

Whitney was saying with more than a trace of bitterness that Clark is kind of athlete that should be playing varsity sports rather than faking a lack of talent in PT class. It was the one thing about Clark that really bugged Whitney. That he wouldn't play varsity sports and like his father Jonathan Kent bring sporting glory to Smallville High.

Actually it was the one thing about Clark that bugged Whitney until they both noticed Clark making endless moony eyes at her. After that revelation Whitney became less concerned about Clark not playing sports and more uncomfortable with her and Clark's budding friendship.

She had never really paid attention to Whitney's belief that Clark was faking his lack of athletic ability mainly because over the years Lana simply got used to seeing Clark act like a total spastic around her.

There were always lot of guys crushing on her and fumbling around and to be frank Lana was used to it. However no guy with a crush but the shy farm boy Clark Kent found it simply impossible to stay on his feet whenever he got near her.

Clark wouldn't even sit beside her or anywhere near her in any class they shared over the years. This is why when Whitney pointed out Clark hiding his athletic ability Lana simply dismissed it as Whitney being overly critical or mistaken or Clark was simply a non competitive guy that kept giving the ball away because he was too nice on the athletic field to play cut throat varsity sports.

Lana didn't see it in Clark Kent back in Smallville High on the sports field but she sure saw it right now in front of her in the form of Thor-el. The difference was that this guy was not hiding anything but looked too strong, quick, agile to be anything else but a perfect Greek God of a being fallen to earth.

Lana thought about the spastic nervous Clark Kent who couldn't walk past her in the hall without dropping his books. She also thought about how she dismissed Whitney's practiced eye when he pointed out to her Clark was faking his lack of athletic talent.

Now looking at Thor-el Lana wondered what was it in her brain that caused her to fail to see what was right in front of her face. Clark might have hidden it on the athletic field and dropped his books a lot in the hallways of Smallville High but there was one place when he never hid it. It was where his ability was on display to any conscientious observer.

It was in the rescues of Smallville's own teenage hero. Oh yea, Clark had it. She had seen it time and time again in each miraculous rescue. He had shown it to her many times and she might have ignored it at the time but now today here it was again standing before her radiating from this being of Clark's blood.

The difference was before the over whelming power under the surface of Clark Kent was always a comfort. He was in love with her. Clark was someone who long ago she could always count on and was always there for her. But this being in front of her; the same as Clark in many ways but in the most important way was something else. And that something else was what she was really afraid of.

Now in the Talon facing Thor-el for the first time Lana knew what all those meteor freaks and frat boy bullies felt when they faced the heroic to her but scary to them Clark Kent. A Clark Kent that didn't even like them let alone love and was now going to unload all that power on their heads.

Thor-el like Clark was so focused a definition it was as if he were carved out of a single hard material by a sharp tool. In that exact second Lana knew what those frat boys had felt as Clark started to take them apart.

Fortunately instead of tossing her onto the top of Sheriff Evan's police car Thor-el just gave her and Lex a bemused look and said: "When will you two ever learn?"

Lana felt chills run up and down her spine as Thor-el looked down at her and Lex and she blurted out the first thing that came into her head. "You can kill me but you don't scare me."

Thor-el gave a kind of half sigh and rolled his eyes as he thought about what Lana so inadvertently said, "How come everyone in Smallville thinks I am going to kill them? Even Clark did the first day. I mean I know I have killed a lot but never in Smallville."

That revelation didn't do anything to lower Lana's level of anxiety.

Thor-el didn't expect to get a coherent answer from the humans and Lana decided to treat his question as rhetorical.

Thor-el studied them for a second and said, "When will you two ever learn?"

Lana decided that as scared as she was of Thor-el this was no time to back down. Lex might still be out of it from the gun incident so it was up to her to convince Thor-el to allow them to see Clark.

"Ok, what do you want us to learn?" Lana said with only a slight quiver in her voice.

Thor-el cocked one eyebrow at her, "That Clark Kent is no longer your emotional punching bag and neither of you have any claim over him." Thor-el paused for a moment and continued, "That Clark is no longer part of your life but has found a cause and friends that share his cause. Friends that are real friends; Friends like Pete and not like you, Lex and Chloe."

Ouch. That hurt but Lana decide to forge ahead by playing the wronged little girl card. "Clark was our friend and then just left us. He simply disappeared and that hurt all of us. He didn't say anything about why he did it. There was no explanation."

Lana paused for a second and reached back into the past to add to her argument. "You know he left me before and ran away to Metropolis."

Thor-el cut this bullshit off at the knees. "He never left you. Didn't Pete tell you or were you as usual not listening? Clark was being blackmailed by someone pretending to be a message from his biological father. He was under immense pressure to leave Smallville to keep you all safe. And that's not just you but all his family and friends."

Thor-el started to pace while glaring at Lana while Lex just stared blankly at the verbal Judo. "Clark was drugged and suffering from the guilt of believing he was responsible for killing his parent's baby. That is what happened so why do you always think it's just about you?"

Lana felt an involuntary shutter go through her. Lex just rocked back and forth in his chair and tried not to piss in his pants.

Thor-el didn't wait for Lana's answer. "He escaped you to do great things; magnificent things. Things that ordinary people only dream of. To storm the dark castles and slay the black dragons."

Thor-el's voice quieted down, You hurt him Lana Lang and if he would have stayed you would have killed him but he made it out alive to lead heroes into battle."

All that guilt was thrust once again in her face by Thor-el and Lana was not going to take it lying down.

"That's a lie. Even if I wanted to do such a thing how could I hurt Clark let alone kill him? I am a tiny girl while Clark is Smallville's teenage hero. Clark left but it wasn't because I was a threat to him."

Lana pointed at Thor-el, "If I can hurt Clark why aren't you scared of me. I can see you are like Clark, of Clark's blood. If I could hurt him I could hurt you. So why are you not afraid of me if I am this huge danger?"

Thor-el just snorted at Lana's empty threat. "No you can't hurt me. I was lucky enough not to fall in love with you when I was five."

Lana's face dropped in confusion. Why the hell when talking with Clark, the Kents and now Clark's blood relative everything they said was so dam confusing?

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Thor-el crossed his arms and stared Lana down. "Maybe you should learn to leave the secrets of scary people alone."

Lana didn't know what to make of that comment from Thor-el so said the first thing that came into her head. "I love Clark."

Thor-el jumped all over those three little words. "No you don't. You have no idea of what love really is. What you love is the idea of Clark always being there to keep the vampires from your door. But you never understood that Clark had his own demons. And to protect himself and to defeat them he needed your help. Help that you chose not to give; instead from you came accusations of jealously and lies."

The tears were now running down Lana's face. "I am so very sorry about that. I would do anything to change the way I treated Clark but I can't. Now I...I can never forget him."

"You can forget anything."

Lana shaking voice reposed with the tone of an accusation. "You talk about me like I am not human."

And back from Thor-el came the cryptic truth. "Oh, you are human all right; that's one of the problems."

Thor-el put his weight on one leg and leaned into it and continued. "I know you are human because proof of your humanity is that you moved on from Clark and even married. If it is one thing you natives of Smallville have the ability to do its move on. Clark is not a native of Smallville. He was trapped by you forever when he was five years old but that didn't matter when it came to making your choice for a partner in Paris did it."

Lana broke eye contact. It still embarrassed her and she inwardly cringed when she thought of how she picked Jason over Clark especially considering how her marriage ended.

Lana breathed out a long sigh. "I had such good and bad taste in men. For good guys I had Clark and Whitney and then for the bad guys Adam, Seth and finally the worst Jason."

Lana softly answered Thor-el, "That's finished. I am not married any more; my marriage failed."

For the first time Thor-el looked a little surprised, "I am sorry to hear that. You don't have to answer but I would like to hear since I am trying to understand Smallville. Why did your marriage fail?"

Lana simply said, "I didn't have what he wanted; which of all things was a penis."

Thor-el now looked more than a little surprised and finally admitted. "I have no response to that revelation. It's so much a Smallville thing rather than my world thing."

Lana with the classic confused girl look on her face stared at Thor-el. This guy was just so completely strange. Clark was strange but in a warm brought up in Smallville kind of eccentricity. In contrast Thor-el was strange is a completely foreign to Kansas kind of way.

Lana finally spoke, "I am not bad."

Thor-el shrugged his wide shoulders at her, "Well, no more than most humans."

Lex finally stopped rocking and tried to rerun the more cryptic parts of Thor-el and Lana's conversation through his overloaded brain. He came up with nothing so his brain decided to stay with the comatose Lex impression.

Thor-el studied Lana for a minute. "I know you can't be all bad. After all both Clark and Whitney fell in love with you so there must be something they saw in you but I never caught a glimpse of it until maybe a few moments ago."

Lana jumped a little when she heard the name of her first love. "Whitney, we all thought he was dead. What about Whitney? The last I heard was Martha Kent told me that Clark and some," Lana really didn't know how to describe the walking weretiger thing, "friends went to North Korea and broke Whitney out of prison."

"That is right. Puss'n'Boots, her father and Clark rescued Whitney. Thor-el gave Lana a warm smile. "They got Whitney out alive but he was a cripple from the torture. Then after we healed him and as a native of Smallville Whitney completely surprised me. He decided to join us in the war. He really is something. Whitney came for no ordinary reason."

Thor-el made a circular wave with his right hand. "Whitney's home wasn't under siege. His people were not directly threatened. He easily could have walked away but he didn't and now he is one of us. He has a cause and like any of us a skull on his chest. Whitney Fordman is the best of any on this rock of Smallville and he thinks you are ok so I guess you can't be all bad."

"Can't be all bad. Is that what you really think of me?"

"You don't want to hear what I really think of you."

"No please go ahead."

"Ok I think you are a pair of petite tits being run by a brain the size of a cashew."

Lana felt nervous enough that she didn't even put up a fight about the cashew size brain comment and the conversation had drifted off topic so she just gave Thor-el a sheepish look, "Yes, you are right I don't have any boobs."

Thor-el gave her a half smile. "But you do have nice hair." He ran his hand through his bright orange Mohawk. "And with a hairdo like this I know a good hair day when I see one." Thor-el gave her the once over, "And even though they are skinny you have decent legs but you are very short."

Lana shook her hair back out of her face and said sarcastically, "Thanks, I like being mocked and have my heart broken at the same time."

"Don't be a drama queen Lana Lang to me; your heart unlike Clark's heart is completely unbreakable. Now you better start to behave or I will have to move the m&ms to the top shelf."

Even with her heart feeling like setting cement Lana let out a short laugh. Things seemed to be going better with Thor-el actually joking with her and Lex was still doing his vegetable impression so Lana felt it was time to ask the big one.

"Is there any way to change your mind? Is there any way I can see Clark? I mean any way at all?"

"I'm sorry," and Thor-el for the first time actually looked like it. "Clark is in a war. A war where winning it is beyond any level of importance that you can even imagine. If Clark is going to survive and he simply can't risk any contact with you. The facts that you are no longer married and appear to have at least some feelings for Clark does not change the reality that you are a fatal danger to him."

Lana started to tear up again, "But I haven't seen him for years. How do I know he even remembers me?

"Clark remembers you because he is not like you. He is not like anyone here in Smallville."

Lana looked at Thor-el wanting to hear the answer she hoped for, "If I ever see Clark again will he forgive me or will he hate me?"

Thor-el answered her, "Clark has already forgiven you even if I haven't."

"Then will he love me again?" Lana faltered and answered her own question. "How can he after what I have done and all this time even care about me let alone love me?"

Thor-el told her the truth, "Of course he loves you. After all he is not like you. Clark unlike you will love you not until the day you die but the day he dies. The bitch of it all; besides; well you; is that he can't risk the danger in seeing you."

Lana started to drift back into despair. "What should I do now? How am I supposed to live?"

Thor-el gave her the answer. "Do what Clark has done. What he had to do to survive losing you. Go become great, do good, do incredible things. Make your self something worth a hero from a brutal war coming home to. And that is whether the hero is standing or lying on his shield."

Thor-el pointed to Lex calmly sitting with the dead look in his eyes, "In fact both of you and Chloe should go do great things; good things. Things that will make Clark want to come back to Smallville and see you and even help you. Unlike myself, Whitney and Puss'n'Boots Clark is not meant for war or to live a life of vagabond adventure. He is good at war and a fierce fighter but he is not a warrior or wanderer in his heart."

Lana's heart started to pump on panic mode. "What are you saying? Will he come back? Can he come back?"

"If the war ends and it will only end if we win. Clark coming back would be against my wishes because you would be here in Smallville and still be a danger to him." Thor-el gave a sarcastic laugh. "That's irony for you. A bloody war is less danger to Clark than an evening in Smallville at the mercy of Lana Lang."

Thor-el looked at Lana and told her, "The truth is if he survives he will return. Clark loves Smallville. He is not like Whitney who always dreamed of leaving Smallville. Now Whitney has his wish and thus found his place in the stars"

"You mean sun; the expression is 'his place in the sun'."

Thor-el quickly acknowledged his mistake. "Oh sorry English is not my native language. I don't really get a lot of practice speaking it."

Thor-el further explained a possible future, "Whitney has found his place in the sun but Clark never left by choice but it was a sense of duty to a cause that was greater than his personal happiness and it was to avoid being killed by you."

Lana now knew that there was no way she was going to convince Thor-el to allow her to see Clark so decided to probe for more information. Maybe she could find out where Clark was fighting and go see him on her own.

Lana pointed at Lex who was doing nothing but stare at Thor-el. "Lex has spent years and thousands of dollars searching for Clark but can't find any trace of him or you. Not in the Karon rebel camps in Burma, not in the Congo, nothing in Uganda against the "Army of God" rebels or in Nepal against the Moeist rebels. Lex checked out every hot spot on earth but no trace of Clark or you turned up anywhere."

Lana studied Thor-el for any hint of evasiveness and then got sarcastic, "So either you are covering your tracks very well or this mysterious war doesn't exist or," Lana snorted, "It's in a galaxy far far away and you are fighting in some nerd's fantasy with light sabers."

Thor-el held on to it for a moment but then totally losing it bust out laughing. He finally said, "Oh it's a real war with no light sabers but there are Hattari Hanzo swords being used. And finally it's not being fought in a galaxy far far away but this galaxy."

Thor-el gave Lana a bemused smile; the irony of how close she was coming to the secret would be horrifying to Clark but it was funny to him. "I think I will let you figure out this stuff on your own. You have enough hints not only to get the answer but to paint a picture. Besides maybe if you are successful you will convince me that intelligent life does exist in Smallville."

Lana didn't know what exactly to make of what Thor-el just said to her but decided to file it away for future consideration.

Thor-el as always looked the epitome of cool confidence and Lana just had to ask, "I just want to know why you weren't afraid when that gun was pointed at you? The only person I have ever seen stand up to a gun was Clark saving me and he was wearing a lead bullet proof vest."

Thor-el answered with, "I don't need a bullet proof vest because I have had a lot worse things than a gun pointed at me."

Thor-el pointed at Lex, "Is he going to be ok or do you need some help with him."

Lex looked pretty pale but for the first time spoke, "I'm starting to feel better and will be ok in a little while."

Lana added, "We will be fine. Lex will call for a car to pick us up and drop him at the mansion and then me at the Potter farm. The car needs to go out that way anyway to pick up Lex's helicopter pilot at the Kent farm."

Thor-el just shook his head in agreement and said, "Ok, then I will be going. I still have to have dinner with the Kents and your Aunt Nell.

Aunt Nell! When Thor-el said the words Aunt Nell Lana saw a roguish smile cross his face.

With more than a quiver in her voice Lana asked, "You are not going to hurt my Aunt Nell are you?"

Thor-el just gave her a knowing smirk, "Of course not…..unless she asks me and I tie her up first."

Lana's jaw dropped and a few seconds later Thor-el got serious, "Lana I will be leaving tomorrow and I expect it will be a long time before you hear anything about any of us. Don't forget to go live your life and to do great things. You won't be seeing Clark Kent for a long time if ever again but who does know what the future holds. After all tomorrow is another day."

On that note Thor-el spun on his heel and in a few strides left the Talon. Lana jumped up yelling, "Wait a minute" and a couple seconds later she burst through the front door of the Talon onto the side walk of Smallville's Main Street.

Lana knew before she even reached the door what she was going to find. After all Clark had done it to her enough times. And sure enough Clark's Uncle Tor-el was no different. As she expected what Lana found was nothing. Thor-el had completely disappeared.

Lana slapped her hands against her thighs and stomped her feet in frustration and quietly said out loud. "Uncle my foot; they are so much alike I think he is Clark's clone."

Lana looked again both ways and saw nothing but a typical early evening scene on Smallville's Main Street. Then she turned and went back inside the Talon to try to help Lex pull himself together and make the call for a car to pick them up.

Thor-el moments later stopped in front of the Kent house and smiled. He could see Martha Kent and Nell Potter in through the kitchen window getting the dinner ready. He looked up at the stars for a moment and then back at the yellow farm house. Thor-el smiled to himself.

This was going to be an interesting night for just about everyone.

To be continued as Part 40: Loft Encounters of the Fourth Kind!


	40. A Call To Arms Part 40

Part 40: Loft Encounters of the Fourth Kind!

Nell fell back and sunk into the feather mattress. Her right hand fell across her torso with her finger tips touching between her breasts. Her left hand was still held in the soft velvet Velcro bondage strap anchored to the upper left brass bed post.

She though it was kind of sweet that the bondage gear was soft velvet so there wouldn't be any marks to tip off out of town husbands or boyfriends. Of course for Nell being alone for the last two years visible marks on her body wasn't an issue.

Her right hand was touching white skin and Nell could feel her heart beat finally dropping down to safe levels. The endorphins from her last orgasm still were firing pulses through the neurons of her brain's pleasure centre.

She was lying in a brass bed in the loft on white Thai silk sheets that felt smooth and cool against her skin. Nell lifted her right hand from the valley between her breasts as her heart finally slowed down to levels that allowed her to speak.

She turned to Thor-el who was lying beside her with a bemused smile on his face and told him, "You know until now I never realized I was multiple orgasmic."

Thor-el cocked on eye brow at her, "Really, I thought all women of Smallville were multiple orgasmic?"

Nell answered with, "They all wish", and then a confused but curious look appeared on her face. "Funny that you would say that; are you saying that the women that you have slept with in Smallville have all had multiple organisms?"

"Well yes, I studied the physiology of the women of Smallville before my first visit and it was apparent that with a few minor adjustments that for the female of the species multiple organisms are both easy and natural."

Nell's eyes widened, "The way you talk is so weird but hang on to that because it really works for you…well also for me."

Nell freed her left hard from the velvet Velcro strap and then rolled onto her side facing Thor-el and placed her cheek into her palm leaning on her elbow. "I know many women in Smallville and let's face it; we talk about it and being multiple orgasmic is not as common as you think."

Nell shook her hair back out of her face and once again rested her cheek on her palm. "So tell me where you learned to do that to women?" Before Thor-el answered Nell thought for a second and modified her question. "Or maybe like me it's only common with the women you sleep with; so where did you learn to make that happen?"

Thor-el thought for a second and then gave Nell a smart-alecky smile. "Would you believe that being someone that lives very far from Smallville in between battles you just pick up a few sex tricks when having friendly inter species sex orgies?"

Nell gave a short laugh, "No, that explanation doesn't fly."

Thor-el tried again, "Ok how about following detailed instructions from a Thai dancer who while performing on stage at the Long Gun Go-Go in Soi Cowboy off Sukumvit would use the 'look ma no hands" method to shoot ping pong balls fifty feet?"

Nell gave a slight shutter. "Now that sounds grosser than the truth?"

Thor-el thought for a second trying to put together a reasonable explanation that didn't involve cross species sexual relations due to intersecular space travel. After a couple seconds the English words came to him. "Ok how about a lot of hours of tantric sex instruction in a hidden Shangri-La valley in the Himalayas?"

Nell rolled onto her stomach and then leaned over crossing her hands to lay them on Thor-el's chest. She paused for a second before bringing her chin down to rest on her hands.

"Tantra Sex! That is the most plausible explanation you have given me yet."

Thor-el reached down to flick a lock of hair off of Nell's cheek. "If I have had the pleasure of making you happy Nell does the origin of such unorthodox sexual technique really matter?"

Nell lifted her chin off of her hands and stretched her arms out to the side before bringing them in to rest on his upper chest and then she turned her head to place her left cheek directly against Thor-el's torso.

"You are right. It really doesn't matter. I guess I am just really curious about you."

As she spoke Nell started to make small circles with the point of her index finger nail on Thor-el's chest.

"What I am saying is you really intrigue me and like all women after sex…a lot of sex with a stranger I just want to know a some of your secrets. For me it would make this feel less like a one night stand and more like an intimate encounter with a lover."

Nell dropped her eyes as she vocalized her emotionally vulnerability. It had been a long two years since Dean's death; years which didn't involve a lot of dating.

In response Thor-el reached down and with a finger reached under her chin to lift her face up to make eye contact. "Nell Porter of Smallville: I do not think of this as a one night stand but a sweet and hopefully never bitter merger of body and soul. And that includes now and in the cold light of morning."

Nell let go of the breath she had been holding as Thor-el statement smacked her emotional meter and buried the needle into the red zone, "Wow, you really have the complete game. I mean just not just physically although that is incredible but you really know how to massage a women's emotions."

"Now Nell, I am not playing seduction head games but simply telling you the truth."

Thor-el gave a short but warm laugh to ease awkwardness and said, "But thanks for the complement. Maybe its experience or maybe it's natural but does it matter because I am really touched by you and that doesn't happen as often as you might think."

Then Thor-el gave Nell a rakish smirk, "And don't think we are finished yet. It is going to be hours before you sleep."

Nell involuntarily winced a little. Her clitoris was still swollen with blood and was really throbbing. She did a quick check and found herself facing the reality of a special body button that after what it had been through so far this night was swollen to the size and color of a prize winning raspberry.

Nell gave Thor-el a sheepish grin. "Not that I am not looking forward to it but I think you better give me some time to recover. After the last tsunami wave of orgasms I really am a little too sensitive down there at the moment."

Nell ran her hands over Thor-el's chest and abdominals. His body was like one that she had never seen on any man let alone touched and enjoyed. He didn't have a just six pack abs but a complete eight pack with the deep muscular ripples running under his skin down from each side of his waist to form a V shape pointing down to his groin.

Thor-el's skin felt tingly and electric under her fingers. The experience of touching his body was like plugging her aura into a perpetual energy source. As Nell ran her hands over him she was amazed how his skin was so smooth and completely unblemished. It was still soft even though under his skin it felt like there was a flexible sheet of steel. Thor-el's body was unlike any man she had ever been with; really completely unique.

It was not only the physical part of his body that was so different but also how it over powered her senses when they made love. Nell could have sworn that earlier in the evening when she had straddled Thro-el that gravity fell away and Thor-el's body lifted into her until they were floating in the loft on currents of ecstasy. But such a thing was impossible.

It must have been just a trick of her mind brought on by the wave of orgasm but at that moment Nell really felt like her calves and feet were hanging free down past Thor-els body instead of tucked back under against the silk sheets.

Also there was the question about lubrication. Nell was forty eight and wondered why after hours of sex with this man she always stayed so slick and wet.

It was strange but also fantastic that when ever she started to dry up Thor-el would just stroke the small of her back and she would instantly go wet again. She just couldn't figure out what was happening on this night with this beautiful but strange man.

Nell wanted to keep talking to find out more about this man of mystery and also to gain some time for her clitoris stop throbbing and return to normal. So Nell decided to probe more into Thor-el's origins and his connection with the Kents.

"You know I heard about you many years ago from my niece Lana but I never expected to meet you."

This statement captured Thor-el's attention and he smiled at her. "So what did you hear about me?"

"Well Lana told me about you appearing mysteriously at a barbecue held by Lex Luthor at his mansion during her senior year at Smallville High. You appeared the same day that the Kent's son Clark disappeared from Smallville. She said that the Kents told her that Clark left with you."

Nell paused for a second and lifting her head from it's resting place on Thor-el's chest. She locked eyes on Thor-el's face looking for some kind of reaction. All that was looking at her was a Greek God with a bemused smile.

Nell didn't quite know what to make of it so decided to continue. "Lana said you accused her of being a danger to Clark and before she could respond both you and Clark were gone."

Nell gave Thor-el a guarded look and kept talking, "You know Thor-el when you took Clark away from Lana she was heartbroken."

Thor-el sighed, "First of all Nell I never took Clark away from Lana because she was not with him but was with her boyfriend Jason. And second I know you are only thinking of the welfare of your niece but in all the things that ended up broken the day I had to rescue Clark from being marooned in Smallville Lana Lang's heart was not one of them."

Nell's eye brows went up. "What do you mean by marooned? Clark wasn't marooned. Smallville is his home."

"I'm sorry Nell. English is not my first language and I sometimes make mistakes. However even though Smallville was Clark's home at the time I came for him it is not his original home. Clark is from where I am from and Smallville is only where he was raised. And if I can add, raised quite nicely, it really is scary how things could have turned out for Clark if someone other than Jonathan and Martha Kent adopted him."

Thor-el decided that revealing how scary it could have been for the whole world if the Kent's hadn't found Clark was more than Nell needed to hear. Besides he knew how paranoid the Kents were about anyone finding out Clark's secret even if Clark was 15 million light years from Smallville.

Nell didn't want to drop her point on Lana's feelings due to Clark's disappearance. "You really don't know how broken hearted Lana was about Clark leaving with you on that day. She cried for weeks and it was three years before she gave up on Clark and against my wishes married Jason. I don't know if you know but that choice for a husband turned out to be a disaster."

Nell's face tightened when she thought of what Jason put Lana through during their marriage before continuing, "But surprisingly her marriage failing seemed to come a more of a relief to Lana than a second broken heart."

Nell and Lana were very close and Lana through endless tears for months had recounted the story of the day of Clark's disappearance to Nell. As far back as the her escape from the tornado at the end of junior year Lana had told Nell again and again how she was sure that Clark was keeping a secret from her.

So Nell decided to play a little dumb because as enthralled as she was with Thor-el at the end of the day Nell biggest concern was Lana's welfare. Nell knew that Lana driving herself crazy trying to find out what happened to Clark from the Kents, Pete and today Thor-el. So Nell decided to try to find some answers that could maybe just maybe bring her niece some peace.

There in the loft if the Kent Farm after being shagged silly for hours Nell Potter in the middle of her Greek God interrogation decided to go for broke.

"I have asked Martha Kent from time to time about Clark but only get tears and evasiveness in answer. So today could you tell me where is Clark Kent?"

Thor-el's eyes narrowed and he thought about the answer to Nell's question. Thor-el never really understood the Kent's fear of Clark's secret getting out, especially since Clark was no longer in the Earth's solar system let alone Smallville.

The Kent's obsession with secrecy just seemed to a Son of Krypton who had been from one end of the galaxy to the other to be mostly misplaced primitive superstition.

Truth be told Thor-el never really understood what all the fuss was about. But misplaced or not Thor-el respected the Kent's wishes to keep the "A Space Alien once walked the streets of Smallville" secret.

However for Thor-el after a thousand years of traveling the stars he really was casual and in fact kind of careless about the whole idea of the big Kent secret.

Thor-el answered Nell, "At the Talon your niece already asked that question. To be honest I told her she already had enough information to put it together and discover the answer to her questions about Clark Kent on her own. Frankly I really can't understand why the lot of them; I mean Lana, Lex and Chloe haven't already figured it out."

Nell's eyebrows lifted in surprise, "So there really is a big secret? I mean Lana has been telling me since her junior year that Clark has a secret but to be honest I thought it was her infatuation for Clark Kent playing with her imagination."

Thor-el wasn't immediately sure how to answer, "Well it's a secret to the Kents and Clark but to be honest for me it's not a secret but simple reality. I guess I am just more comfortable with the secret not being a big issue than the Kents of Smallville."

Thor-el looked at Nell but only got silence as she waited for him to continue. "The fact is I didn't want to take Clark away from Smallville and his family here; especially since I was taking him to war. But I had no choice. Clark was deeply in love with your niece. Deeper in love than you can imagine. The problem was she was with someone else so I couldn't leave Clark behind because Lana Lang would have broken Clark's heart. I simply couldn't allow such a thing to happen to Clark."

Nell listened to Thor-el while she tried to put the pieces together but she didn't have any of the experiences that Lana, Chloe and Lex had with Clark so kept drawing blanks.

"Thor-el, teenagers with their endless crushes get their hearts broken all the time. It hurts but in time it mends and life goes on."

Thor-el started to trace circles with the back of his fingers around Nell's breasts. "That is true for the people of Smallville but it's simply not the same for where I am from and Clark is like me."

Nell felt her nipples start to harden but kept her concentration on probing. "You are talking like Clark's heart was the only one involved. I already told you how Lana's heart was broken when you took Clark away."

Thor-el however was ready for this one. "But then her heart really wasn't broken because unlike Clark, Lana Lang had already moved on with a new boyfriend."

Thor-el continued, "I don't think you know the whole story of what Lana said to Clark when she came back from Paris. What she said was: 'After everything we've been though I thought it would take us longer to get over it'. You see Nell, Lana was referring to herself putting Clark behind her when she fell in love with Jason after few weeks after being in Paris. Lana assumed that Clark has also found another girl and fallen in love."

A little furrow appeared on Nell's forehead as she frowned. This was news to her.

"What Lana didn't realize is only she had moved on. Clark was then as he is now still in love with her. What Lana never got was that she was the only one that could and did move on. That is the difference between them and the reason that she is such a danger to Clark. Lana is from Smallville and will always be able to move on. Clark is not from Smallville so moving on is something Clark will never be able to do when it comes to Lana Lang."

Nell frowned at Thor-el, "Maybe it is because English is not your first language but you are talking like no one in Smallville has any emotions. Believe me we are the same as anyone else."

Thor-el smiled at Nell, "I know you are the same as everyone else. The problem is Clark is not."

All Nell could think of is how everything Thor-el said was so weird. She inwardly shrugged her shoulders. It must just be some cultural issues combined with language that was causing their communication problems.

There was no way a little adolescent broken heart was going to destroy Clark Kent the teenage hero of Smallville? Nell just didn't understand why Thor-el was making a big deal about it so mentally dismissed it to concentrate on other things.

Thor-el sat up and slipped in between Nell's legs and then reached out to grasp one of her ankles in each of his hands. Nell immediately crossed her two hands in between her legs.

"No, I can't take it right now. I'd love to but after our last session I'm still too sensitive."

Thor-el just flashed a rakish smile at her. "Don't worry I have a way around that. I am going to use the soft flat part of my tongue and will only use the harder tip to curve up for your G-spot. And don't worry; I'll start out doing very light figure eight butterflies."

Nell knew this was one battle she was not going to win and besides in this case losing was a whole lot of fun so she lifted her hands over her head to grab the brass headboard. She was really going to have to hang on to keep from jumping through the roof of the loft once Thor-el's tongue hit ground zero."

A few minutes later Nell was too busy moaning and hanging on for dear life to ask her self the obvious question. How can a man move his tongue so fast?

Nell woke as the first warm rays of the morning sun broke through the window of the loft. She almost purred as she lifted her head off of Thor-el's chest.

If she was going to spend the night sleeping on a guy's chest this is definitely the one she would pick.

Thor-el was already awake and leaned down to kiss the top of her head, "Good morning Nell of Smallville."

Nell just smiled at him and when she opened her mouth at first all that came out of a purr of satisfaction. Nell sat up and leaned one arm while she absent mindedly ran her hands over Thor-el chest.

"You know in all the activity last night I really didn't think about how strange it is that the Kents have this brass bed and these fantastic Thai Silk sheets set up here in their barn."

Thor-el put a hand on each side of Nell's waist and picked her up to place her on top of him straddling his torso.

"Actually this bed was a present from me to the Kents a couple of years ago for their wedding anniversary. I bought the silk sheets at Jim Thompson's store in Bangkok."

Nell leaned forward and placed a hand on each of Thor-els pecks. "It was a great idea. The Thai silk sheets are heavenly."

Thor-el just smiled as he reached around and ran his fingers over the small of Nell's back to her charka. A few moments later Nell was dripping as the kundalini energy now released surged through her body.

"Yes I thought so; a bed with Thai silk sheets in a barn loft can keep a marriage fresh."

Nell heard him but didn't say anything since her first orgasm of the morning was just coming down the pipeline.

After the morning sexescapades as wake up Nell pulled on her clothes and tried to tidy up her make-up. She really wasn't looking forward after staying out all night to facing the twins and Lana at breakfast.

Also it was hard to stand left alone walk without wincing even if it was wincing in a good way.

A second later Thor-el scooped her up in his arms. "I have to go very soon but since you walked over here last night I would like the honor of carrying you home."

Nell just beamed at him. Thor-el really made her feel like a teenage in a crush rather than a responsible middle aged mother.

The sun had only been up for a few minutes and already Lana was stilling on the porch of the Potter house drinking some green tea. She had been up before dawn and after checking the master bedroom knew Nell had stayed out all night.

It didn't take Sherlock Holmes to figure out why Nell hadn't come home after dinner at the Kents. Yesterday Lana had seen how her Aunt looked at Clark's mysterious Uncle at the Talon.

So this early Kansas morning for the last hour Lana had been watching the Kent farm as dawn came and rays of warm sunlight chased the remains of the night across the green and gold countryside.

Now out of the Kent's barn she watched as Clark's Uncle appeared carrying her AWOL Aunt Nell in his arms.

For a moment Lana thought Thor-el was going to walk over to the cars to drive Nell back but instead he turned out the laneway. That was strange. Was he really going to carry Aunt Nell all the way home?

Well it certainly looked that way with Thor-el and her Aunt Nell chatting as he carried her across hickory way and up the Potter's laneway like her Aunt weighed no more than a feather.

Nell turned a little pink when she saw Lana sitting in the porch love seat swing sipping tea with a look of the cheshire cat on her face.

Thor-el wasn't phased in the least, "Why Ms Lana Lang what a pleasant surprise. I really didn't expect to have the pleasure before leaving Smallville."

Lana with a tight smirk said, "What pleasure are you talking about? Seeing me drink tea on the porch or spending the night with my Aunt?"

"Lana, that's enough" Nell injected but then Thor-el quickly answered Lana, "To be honest; both are pleasures in their own right. Now you were concerned yesterday at the Talon about me spending time with your Aunt but as you can see here she is safe and sound."

Lana answered with a sarcastic snort, "Right, I can see she is safe but after spending the night in the loft with you just how sound is she?"

An embarrassed Nell quickly said, "Lana that is enough. Thor-el was a perfect gentleman," Nell almost broke down but quickly turned her head to Thor-el and whispered, "Even if I didn't behave like a respectable lady."

Thor-el gave Nell an big smile, "Nell Potter there is a lot more to being a lady than just being respectable. In fact being respectable is one of the least important characteristics of being a lady"

Thor-el's super hearing picked up a muffled noise coming from the back of the Potter house. It was a window opening and the sound of someone climbing down to the whispered goodbyes of two hormone driven twin girls. Thor-el gave a little half smile as he thought, 'Nice graduation present to yourself Ryan; a ménage a trios with the Potter twins'.

Thor-el then stepped up onto the porch and gently sat Nell down on the porch love seat swing. He kissed Nell gently on the cheek and straightened up and standing reached out to cup Nell's face in his right hand.

"I am sorry but I have to leave. I just have time to say goodbye to the Kents before my ride shows up. I don't know when if ever I will be back but I just want to say what a pleasure it was to meet you and I will never forget you."

Nell just quickly raised her hand to stop the sob in her throat as her eyes started to tear. Thor-el gave her another beaming smile and then turned to Lana.

"Good bye Lana Lang and don't forget what I said to you yesterday. Do great things because Clark sure is."

It's never over until it's over so Lana Lang lined up the dice and took one last shot.

"I know you won't let me see Clark or tell me where he is but could you please answer one question?"

"Maybe, just ask me what you want."

Lana let out the breath she had been holding and went for broke.

"At the end of junior year I was in a truck that was caught up in a tornado. I remember seeing Clark in the truck when he saved me. I just want to be sure I wasn't hallucinating. Was Clark in the truck with me in the tornado?

Lana gave him what was her most innocent smile as she held her breath hoping for a straight answer.

Thor-el rolled his eyes. He really was getting tired of fielding all these silly questions. And his guard was down as he was still warped up in the pleasant memories of a night in the loft with the charming Aunt Nell.

Over the years Clark had of course told Thor-el everything about his life in Smallville.

Thor-el knew the story of the tornado rescue very well since he had asked Clark if he had any involuntary flying experience when Thor-el first started to teach Clark how to fly.

What Clark didn't mention to Thor-el was that he had denied that he was in the truck directly to Lana's face. It just never crossed Thor-el's mind that Lana didn't already know Clark had been with her. He thought she had simply forgotten.

Thor-el answered Lana in a casual but dismissive tone. "Don't you remember? Of course Clark was in the truck with you. After all you are from Smallville. How else could you survive in a tornado without Clark?"

With that single off hand comment after all those years of confusion and doubting her sanity Lana Lang finally knew the truth about the day of the twisters.

Lana felt her knees buckle but thankfully held it together to made a controlled decent to sit down on the porch love seat swing beside Nell.

Thor-el then gave Lana a small dismissive node and turned to Nell to let lose another big smile. The son of Krypton then said goodbye as he turned and then maybe it was a trick of the morning light but without seeming to even move in a moment he was gone.

A few moments later Lana and Nell saw him wave from the porch of the Kent's yellow farmhouse with Ryan standing at his side.

Surprising enough for early morning attire Ryan was wearing a Thai silk open neck shirt and black jeans along with a huge shit eating grin. Ryan's teeth flashed white light at them as he waved.

Then Thor-el and Ryan turned and disappeared through the Kent's front door. That was the last that Lana and Nell saw of the mysterious Thor-el.

Lana turned to Nell, "Well as usual when it comes to experiences with that man that was pretty surreal."

Nell just looked at her hands, "Lana I don't regret it. I mean I had the night of my life but I would appreciate it if you didn't tell the girls I stayed out all night with a man I just met."

Lana put her arm around Nell and gave her a little squeeze. "My lips are sealed on one condition."

Nell looked up with a guarded look on her face. "What condition?"

Lana looked Nell straight in the eye, "That you tell me everything that Thor-el said to you last night. And I mean everything. That's everything, every single thing down to the last detail."

Lana looked back toward the real life Norman Rockwell painting that was the Kent's farm. "I just learned something about Clark Kent that I knew in my heart but I needed to hear. He was in the truck with me during the tornado."

Lana turned back toward Nell, "Thor-el said in the Talon that we, meaning me, Chloe and Lex knew enough to figure out Clark's secret and…"

Nell cut Lana off, "That is exactly what Thor-el said me last night. You have all the pieces but just need to put it together. If fact he said he was surprised that you haven't figured it out"

Nell's eyes narrowed for a moment, "You know Lana I don't think Clark Kent's secret is unique."

"What do you mean?"

"Thor-el said that he didn't really understand why the Kents were so nervous about Clark's secret getting out now that he is no longer in Smallville. He really doesn't understand why the secret is such a big deal to the Kents."

Nell thought for a second and waited for another piece to fall into the puzzle. "What I think that means is that Clark's secret is not a big deal to Thor-el because he has the same secret. He thinks it's just a natural thing and not a special thing."

The wheels were spinning in Lana's head. "If that is true Aunt Nell what could be a big deep dark secret to Clark, his parents and Pete Ross but just a natural thing to someone like Thor-el?"

Lana felt like the secret was just darting around out of reach mocking her from the corners of her mind.

Then she got a mini revelation. "Don't take this the wrong way Aunt Nell but I need to know or I wouldn't ask."

Lana reached out and took each of Nell's shoulders in hand and turned her so they were face to face. "I really need to know so please tell me. What did Thor-el taste like?"

Nell was busted and turned beat red and stammered out, "What do you mean."

Lana never smirked but just stayed deadly Serious, "You know what I mean."

Nell didn't answer and Lana couldn't wait. "Ok, then let me guess. He tasted like raspberries and it was pink. And there was a lot of it and it seemed like it was never going to stop no matter how quickly you swallowed."

Nell still couldn't speak but the look on her face gave Lana her answer.

"I thought so; it was obvious from looking at each of them that Clark and Thor-el are blood relatives but the pint of pink raspberry flavored semen proves it. Let me make another guess. He is massive like what dreams are made of."

Nell now changed from beat red to as white as a sheet as she shook her head up and down as her answer.

"Then that's it. The secret is something that Clark and Thor-el share in common but only the Kents and Clark are concerned about."

Lana stood up and started to pace on the porch. "I need help on this Nell; it's going to take more than just the two of us but that doesn't mean I don't need to hear everything Thor-el said and exactly what happened last night in that loft."

Nell looked like she never wanted to talk with Lana about her sex life ever again. All she could do is stand up and mumble that she was going inside to fix breakfast for everyone.

A few seconds later Lana was alone on the porch. She knew she was close, very close but it was time to call in the big guns for a powwow.

Lana took her mobile out and called Lex. After a couple minutes of talking and running over what Thor-el said in the Talon while Lex was doing his ventriloquist dummy impression Lex was on board.

The next call Lana made was to the Daily Planet's star rookie reporter. Chloe practically yelled her yes down the phone.

Lana was starting as a junior prosecutor in the Metropolis district attorney's office on Monday. Chloe was on assignment but like Lex was going to be free by the end of the week.

It was all set. Lana knew they had the pieces but now needed to put together the story and then with fingers crossed Clark Kent's secret would pop out.

So everyone was confirmed. Next Saturday night at Lex's penthouse across from the Daily Planet building in Metropolis the three of them that had been such a close part of Clark Kent's life before his disappearance were going to meet.

Then it was going to be an all night three way brainstorming session until somehow they stuck all the pieces of this puzzle together.

Even if she couldn't be with him or find him Lana was pretty sure that the days of Clark Kent's secret staying a secret were now going to be numbered.

……..Meanwhile 15 million light years away from Smallville!

To be continued as Part 41: The Battle for the Planet of the Massood or The Quarterback does the Farmboy a big favor!


	41. A Call To Arms Part 41

Part 41: The Quarterback does the Farmboy a big favor!

The rays of the red giant star of the Massood solar system spilled through the open ramp of the Weave star cruiser's flight deck. This far out in the system the rays of the red giant star didn't bring any warmth and only the force field on the flight deck held back the cold vacuum of space.

Clark, Whitney and Puss'n'Boots were walking across the flight deck together after weeks of flying sortie after sortie into combat. Their last mission had put them out for four straight days in a cramped cockpit and Clark was getting pretty tired of smelling recycled Clark through the environmental system of his Weave attack fighter.

It had been a pretty hairy mission with Whitney two days ago almost buying the farm when they got bounced off one of the moons of a huge gas giant planet reminiscent of Jupiter. Whitney had been the Weave pilot to recover first and then just in time turned his attack fighter into vector of the Clove attack.

The couple seconds that Whitney bought them gave the rest of the Weave's famed Crows fighter squadron the moments needed to form up with their wingmen into finger four fighter formations. Once they locked into their finger four formations with each other protecting vulnerable tails and flanks the Crows fighter squadron threw themselves into the dog fight.

Whitney took some serious hits which after the engagement forced him to do some space walk repairs but all in all it was another example of the crack Crows fighter Squadron turning an ambush into a victory.

As Clark walked across the flight deck he was hoping to be heading to a full shift of catching up on his sleep before the Crows fighter squadron was again scrambled for their next mission. He knew he should check the mission board but was almost afraid to look.

Whitney and Puss'n'Boots were striding ahead of him like they didn't have a care in the world. Puss'n'Boots and Whitney were born for battles like this one. Clark might have scored more victories in dogfights than any of them but his heart never found joy in battle like the Kzin female and the ex US Marine Sniper Scout did every time they climbed into a Weave fighter cockpit.

Puss'n'Boots already had her fighter jock helmet off and Whitney while walking beside her was scratching between her ears while she softly purred at him. Clark just shook his head and thought, 'What a dangerous combination those two are to have running around the universe.'

Whitney and Puss'n'Boots beat him to the mission board and they quickly scanned the updates on how the battle for the Massood solar system was going. A few moments they turned to Clark and excitedly shout at him that the Massood system was air clear. Their recent victory had been the decisive one. After three months of off planet combat the Weave had air superiority of the Massood solar system.

Clark felt elated for a moment but then asked the million dollar question. "When do we do the drop?" which simply meant when does the Weave ground invasion begin to push the Clove off the Planet of the Massood?

The answer quickly came back that the ground invasion to liberate the planet of the Massood would begin in 24 hours. Not a lot of time but Clark thought at least he would be able to get a full shift of sleep before leading his unit down to the planet to start the ground assault.

Before he hit the shower to wash off four days of breathing recycled environment and Clarks bodily functions there still was something he needed to ask Whitney. Clark had been putting it off but after almost seeing Whitney killed yet again he knew that he could wait no longer.

Clark had been thinking about asking Whitney ever since Thor-el told him about the collapse star jump. The collapse star jump was a navigational and transport break through that could change the course of the war in favor of the Weave.

Ever since Thor-el's birthday Clark had been waiting for the right moment to ask Whitney and with the land assault on the planet of the Massood to start the next day time was running out. Also asking for the favor was something he couldn't do in front of Puss'in'Boots. If she ever found out the favor he wanted from Whitney the jokes would never stop.

Just Puss'n'Boots knowing would be bad enough but once she told the Kzin twins Suli and Sim up in Scan Tech Clark didn't want to think about the gauntlet of teasing the trio of Kzin females would put him through.

Soon the trio of Crow fighter jocks came to Puss'n'Boots turn off to take the corridor down to the dorms that housed the Kzin females that had yet to take mates. Moments later Clark and Whitney were alone as they walked toward the Star Ship's galley.

Clark hopefully said, "Ah Whitney do you want to grab a quick espresso?"

"Later Clark I feel and smell like death warmed over. Let me shower and catch a power nap and I will be back ready for action. Besides by that time the Kzin twins will be coming off their bridge watch and we can all hang out for the evening before tomorrow's start of the land invasion."

'Oh shit, it's now or never' thought Clark. He reached out and grabbed Whitney's shoulder. "Actually Whitney it's about more than a cup of coffee. It's hard to talk about it and also it's kind of private. I really don't want the Kzin twins or Puss'n'Boots around to listen in or find out about it."

Whitney and Clark knew each other in the way that only people that have faced danger together and covered each other's backs know each other. He quickly picked up that there was going to be more happening over this espresso than just war tactics chit chat.

"Sure Clark, my shower can wait and maybe a double espresso will help me keep from falling asleep in the shower."

They turned into the galley and Clark made a quick survey of the place and picked a private table over by the observation port.

Soon they had two fresh espressos and were sitting down looking out of the observation port that was now facing the huge red star of the Massood solar system.

These two warriors knew each other too well to waste time with small talk so got right into it with Whitney opening up with, "So what is on your mind Clark; you have been jumpy ever since those Clove fighters bounced us off that moon?"

Clark looked away from the giant red star toward Whitney, "That's part of it Whitney, you took an incredible risk turning into their attack vector. You came too dam close to getting yourself killed."

Whitney just shrugged the shrug of a warrior at peace with danger. "But it turned out ok Clark. I made it. The Crows Squadron turned around the ambush and we ended up finally winning air superiority of the Massood system. All in all it was a mission that ended up high fives all around. Small price to pay for a little tempting of death."

Clark just rolled his eyes, "Come on Quarterback, I've been doing this for decades and there is a big difference between tempting death and standing toe to toe and taunting it in the face."

"Chill out Clark, don't be such a worry wart. So for this mission my name was on the page but just not at the top and it's being at the top that gives you the ticket to heaven or hell."

Just as he said it Whitney gave Clark an introspective look and caught the vibe. "Ok what's going on? The Quarterback maybe buying a Technicolor funeral in a dog fight is not what this is about is it?"

Clark deeply signed which he had been doing a lot ever since he left Smallville seventy galaxy years before while in the mean time only seven years had passed on earth. "No you almost getting your self killed is part of it but your right it's not the only part." To try to break the ice a bit Clark shot Whitney a sideways glance and snickered, "Or even the most important part."

"Funny, just spill it Farm boy."

Clark took in a deep breath and started to talk, "I sure hope this is going to be ok so here goes. When I left Smallville all those years ago to get involved with this war I never thought there was even the slightest chance I was going to survive to see an end to it. Even in my dreams when the Weave won the victory it always came centuries into the future. I accepted that even with time running slower on earth if I ever did get back it would be centuries after everyone I know and care about in Smallville are gone."

Clark looked down and felt the black dog of depression creep into his mind. "That was my nightmare. To out live everyone I care about back home and that nightmare for a long time was the reality I faced every day of this war."

Clark smiled at Whitney, "But then at Thor-el's birthday party when he told us about the collapse star jump I thought of the strategic advantage such a discovery would give the Weave. Then I began to believe that there was a chance that we will win this war in decades rather than centuries. Since then I have allowed my self the indulgence of dreaming about winning and thus the chance to return to Smallville."

Whitney wasn't sure where Clark was going with this, "Clark I always thought there was a fair chance that you would be able to return to Smallville. After all the spatial anomaly that keeps time on earth running slower than out here in the galaxy is working in your favor. However me, being human I accepted long ago that this war was a one way ticket. I understand and accept that and in fact wouldn't have it any other way."

Whitney leaned forward trying to figure out what Clark was really asking. "So I am listening to you Clark but still don't know why you are still so worked up about me having a close call a couple days ago. Hey, I know you would miss losing the only real Smallville High Quarterback in the squadron but this is about more than that isn't it?"

Clark's eyes shifted from side to side. He didn't know how he could ask Whitney without looking both morbid and selfish.

"Whitney I know you are here forever as long as that is and I am sorry but for myself I can't help but dream of a day I might be able to return to Smallville."

Clark started to smell the stench of his own guilt, "So I need a favor from you that could make that return if it happens a dream come true for me. That's the favor that I need from you before you go get yourself killed in some over the top heroic stunt."

Whitney started to smile, "Christ on a cracker Clark; you are responsible for dragging my ass out of a sadistic Colonial's torture chamber in North Korea and I've lost count of the times since then you covered my back, front and sides. You gave me a second chance out here in the stars so quick screwing around tell me what favor you need because it's all ready done."

So finally Clark Kent who is so quick to give but again so reluctant to accept the smallest gift prepared himself to ask the biggest favor of his life.

Clark felt guilty that his reason to ask for the favor today is that he is afraid Whitney would be killed soon and thus unable to grant the favor. Clark Kent was defined by his guilt but even so he pulled himself together and asked Whitney Fordman the favor.

Clark didn't really know what reaction he expected but the one he got was a complete surprise.

It was at least two minutes before Whitney was finally able to choke out a few words in between gasping breaths. "Jesus Christ, Clark I thought I was all booked up on weird for today….I sure didn't see that one coming."

Clark looked kind of dazed, "Come on Whitney, this is hard enough for me. Could you please stop with the hysterical laughing fit in my face?"

Whitney was wheezing as he tried to catch his breath, "No freaking wonder you didn't want to ask that favor in front of Puss'n'Boots and the Kzin twins. Do you have any idea of the unmerciful ribbing you would take if they knew about this?"

Clark did the eye and head roll combo, "I hate to ruin your entertainment but have you thought about the heat they would give you over it? Even being simply asked."

That sobered up the situation a bit for Whitney, "Holy shit, you are right. Ok farm boy just give a couple seconds to collect my thoughts."

Clark nervously sipped on his espresso and waited for Whitney's decision.

Whitney felt so funny. It was weird that he could feel both so happy and then kind of sad about the same thing. The favor that Clark was asking was a dream that sometimes came to Whitney on lonely nights on strange worlds in between battles when he thought back to his senior year at Smallville High.

Clark was behaving as if he was stealing Whitney's dream but Whitney knew what dream of his belonged to today. That dream Whitney was living with his eyes wide open. His dream was to leave being Smallville and to die with his boots on in the stars. There is no way he would ever be returning to Smallville except on the occasional lonely night in his mind.

Of course that didn't mean from time to time another dream appeared. Whitney thought about his other dream of Smallville and the raven haired girl. It was pretty weird but is that dream of the raven haired girl still your dream if it comes true for someone else?

Whitney looked out at the stars and wondered if the irony was lost on them. Were the stars laughing at him or was he laughing at the stars.

Whitney looked at Clark Kent and knew if someone else was going to live that particular dream of the Quarterback then this is the guy he would pick. Besides having a friend like Clark live your dream, even your second choice dream is kind of a dream in itself.

That was when Whitney realized he was laughing at the stars so he looked up and smiled at Clark, "Ok, farm boy, you got it. I'll do it before the drop tomorrow so don't worry about me getting slotted in the invasion and not being able to deliver."

Whitney then shook his head at Clark, "Jesus Clark like Pinocchio you just want to be a real Smallville boy." Whitney leaned over the table, "However let's just agree on one thing."

A surprised Clark said, "What?"

Whitney set down his empty espresso, "That neither of us ever mentions this again."

Clark just let out a sigh of relief, "Thank God you said that! No problem."

Whitney stood up and gave Clark a crisp but sarcastic salute, "Now Captain Kent do you mind if I finally hit the showers and wash off four days of sweat and stink? I don't want to wait until tomorrow morning to shower and then have to start the invasion assault with wet hair that I just can't do anything with."

Whitney didn't wait for an answer but just spun on his heels and started to walk away. Whitney started to silently count to him self and sure enough as predictable as always before he hit five Clark called out.

"I just want to say again thank you…"

But Whitney cut him off, "Get over your guilt trip Kent and didn't we just agree that neither of us is to mention this favor ever again?

A sheepish grin lit up Clark's face, "Oh right, sorry. I forgot. So I'll see you when I see you."

Whitney just shot back over his shoulder, "Only if I don't see you first." A few moments later Whitney was gone.

Clark just looked at his half full espresso and said, "If I ever get back to Smallville and get the chance to use this favor I had better not screw it up."

--------

Next morning Whitney was in full combat battle amour and was waiting as usual by the mission board for Clark. Just a few minutes earlier Whitney had said so long wishing good luck to Puss'n'Boots just before she headed up the ramp to take command of one of the Crows squadron assault landing craft.

Clark appeared at the end of the corridor. "Hey Quarterback, thanks for that…."

Whitney made a face at Clark, "Hey, mentioning it again; what did we agree on Farm boy."

Clark caught himself, "Yea right," and the he changed to slip into their usual pre assault routine. "So how are you feeling Quarterback?"

"I'm feeling lucky; like there is going to be a great chance today of taking a Crows squadron express drop to hell to kick the shit out of some devils."

Clark did his usual eye brow lift, "Great chance? I don't know Quarterback I've seen fatter chances die of starvation."

"Ya well Farm boy those fat chances didn't have the Crows on the team."

Clark gave the Quarterback a huge Kent grin, "Ok tough guy lets go kick some bad guy ass and liberate a planet."

Whitney started to walk toward his land assault craft, "Hey Farm boy, are you sure you weren't a Marine?"

Clark's grin went up a couple hundred watts, "No, but we all got a sniper scout on this drop covering our ass."

Whitney snapped back, "Keep your six low and your mag full. Semper Fi"

Clark was walking up the ramp when he yelled back, "Semper Fi".

Clark was already going through the armored door when the faint "Go Crows" echoed across the Weave Star Cruiser flight deck.

Whitney yelled out the Kzin storm trooper motto, "Who dares, wins," as he walked through the landing craft to take his position at point.

As soon as the Kzin storm troopers heard him they roared their battle cries at their landing craft commander.

Whitney smiled and felt the adrenaline rush. These Kzin storm troopers were unbelievable. It was like the entire assault unit was recruited from dead Viking heroes of Valhalla.

A few minutes later they got the green light and their assault craft dropped toward the Massood planet. As they hit the atmosphere the craft started to shake and buffet which was the cue for the Kzin storm troopers to break into war songs.

Whitney grinned and thought, "God forgive me but going to war with Kzin; you just have to love it."

Meanwhile 15 million light years away from the Planet of the Massood…

…to be continued as Part 42: Metropolis Brainstorm Session for Secret Cracking Trio!


	42. A Call To Arms Part 42

Part 42: Metropolis Brainstorm Session for Secret Cracking Trio!

It was Saturday night in Metropolis and instead of an apple martini in a swinging hot spot Lana took a sip of her rich and foamy hot chocolate.

It was just as creamy and mouth watering as you would expect a hot chocolate to taste after being expertly whipped up by Lex's personal chief using fresh milk from contented cows and super thin shavings of the finest Belgium chocolate.

On this Saturday night Lana found herself standing on the balcony of Lex's penthouse leaning against the rail taking in the Metropolis skyline. Of course she was not leaning too far over since Lex's balcony was sixty one stories off the street at the top of Lex Corp Tower.

Lex was casually dressed in his trademark black Armani. Lana was kind of surprised to see him standing over by a old chalk board that looked like an antique from a civil war era one room school house.

Lex was banging two chalk board erasers together putting up a small cloud of white chalk powder that thankfully a light breeze was gently blowing off the balcony into open air and thus sparing his black linen Armani shirt.

Chloe was checking out Lex Luther doing his depression era, one room school house teacher impression. This vision of Lex brought a bemused smile to her face as she sipped on a latte big enough to satisfy a whole convoy of coast to coast truck drivers.

Chloe had her state of the art laptop open and strategically placed on an exquisite Louis the fifteenth table. Lana just had do a little inward smile. Only Lex Luthor would be using priceless Louis the fifteenth antiques as balcony furniture.

Lex put down the erasers and flipped the blackboard over to reveal a detailed flow chart diagram outlining dozens of incidents and encounters with Clark Kent.

"Well ladies this is what I have down so far regarding my personal experience with the mystery of Clark Kent," Lex announced.

Chloe did a quick double take, "Wow Lex, you have been doing your homework over the last week. I think you must have close to as much information as I have."

Chloe turned around her laptop revealing to Lex and Lana the screen of Buzan Mind Map software which she had used to organize systematically and chronologically her own Clark Kent experience.

Having impressed each other both Lex and Chloe looked at Lana who just rolled her eyes at the two of them.

"Dream on you two; I am not as anal as either of you so there is not going to be any Mind Map chart or blackboard diagram from me."

Lana raised her small delicate hand and tapped her temple with a long elegant fingernail. "Everything I know about Clark Kent is stored up here and if Clark's Uncle Thor-el can be believed it just needs to be shuffled around for Clark's secret to pop out."

Lana's hand came back down to her side, "And don't expect me to pull a rabbit out of my hat just yet but after we discuss the Smallville High years I have some additional information on Clark."

As predictable as always Chloe started to ask but Lana quickly silenced her with, "Later Chloe," She then turned to Lex and asked, "Where do you think we should start?"

"How about after I make a quick stop in the ladies room?" Then Chloe teasingly said, "Where is the powder room Lex? I don't want to go poking around and walk into your master bedroom that has probably entertained a hundred visitors of the female variety."

Lex's face went dark for a second before he replied, "It's just down the hallway third door on the left. And don't worry; the bedroom here has only ever had one woman in it."

"Right," said Chloe sarcastically as she left to powder her nose.

Lana couldn't resist a little prying, "Only one Lex? That doesn't sound like Metropolis's richest and most eligible bachelor. Please tell, who was the lucky lady?"

Lex answered her with a defeated voice. "It was Helen Bryce, its just this is my home Lana so I only ever brought Helen here." Lex made a rather sad gesture to an exclusive co-op apartment building a block north. "I have an apartment there that I use for diversions of the female variety but I never bring them here."

Lana touched Lex's shoulder, "I'm sorry Lex. I was just teasing you and I didn't mean to bring up painful memories."

"Thanks Lana, I am sorry about being so melancholy after all this time but even though she tried to kill me I have never stopped loving Helen."

Lex gave Lana a weak smile, "Now lets just forget about it and get down to the task at hand."

Lex and Lana fell silent as Chloe stepped back onto the balcony and closed the French door behind her saying, "Like Lana said, where you think we should start?"

Lex couldn't resist a little smirk, "At the beginning of course; or at least the beginning of my experience with Clark Kent."

Lex turned to the blackboard and with his 22 cart gold pointer tapped the top of the chalk flow chart. "For me it all starts here on the day that I drove off that bridge and Clark saved my life by pulling me out of that wreak of a Porsche."

Lex turned to the two girls, "I think we had better take advantage the hint that Thor-el gave us and do a recap. Ok, Thor-el confirmed there is a secret. He also said that we as a group have enough information to solve the mystery of Clark Kent. I think the reason we have not been able to learn the secret is we have not been sharing and discussing our suspicions and theories with each other to the extent needed. Each of us has some of the pieces but now we have to share those pieces and brainstorm until we put it all together."

Lex turned back to his blackboard and started into a lecture about the bridge crash. Lex covered every detail from the forensic reports of the expert F1 automotive crash investigators he hired to his own vivid memory of seeing over a silver Porsche hood, a very surprised Clark Kent being smashed through the bridge railing.

"If you accept me as a reliable observer and the findings of the expert F1 automotive crash engineers then the only conclusion is that the laws of biology and physics don't apply to Clark Kent."

Lex held his hands out from his side as he surrendered the idea that Clark Kent ordinary Kansas farm boy could have survived the impact and subsequently tore the Porsche's roof open to save him from drowning. "Now comes the logic leap; Clark would have to possess powers beyond that of ordinary men to survive and then save me. Does that make me crazy? If so tell me where I am wrong."

Lana thought about revealing her information about the weretiger and Nell's experience with Thor-el but first wanted them to logically work their way through all their old experiences during the Smallville High years before tossing the new ingredients into the mix.

Chloe looked at Lex and that little furrow appeared in between her eyes as it did whenever she was thinking about a particularly tricky situation. "Lex I think one of the reasons that we never could get anywhere when Clark first disappeared when we discussed this is we wouldn't think outside the box. We kept on searching for an explanation that fitted into the conclusion that Clark was just an ordinary farm boy who was blessed at birth with an incredible gift for timing."

Chloe smiled at that thought and continued, "Lets for the sake of argument and imagination assume that Clark does have special powers beyond ordinary people. After all Clark grew up in Smallville and with the meteor rocks all over the place I personally don't think that is much of a logic leap."

Lana shook her head at Chloe, "I agree with your theory Chloe except I am not sure that the meteor freak explanation is thinking far enough out of the box. For example how come the other meteor freaks went crazy and homicidal? Clark never did. If he is a meteor freak then he is an atypical meteor freak."

Lana started to pace back and forth on the balcony and putting on the ends her trademark Lana Lang turn. She had developed it when the Metropolis zoo had just acquired a magnificent Siberian tiger newly captured from the wild.

Being wild about tigers only a little less than horses Lana had come down to Metropolis to visit Nell and spent eight hours for two days at the zoo in front of the tiger cage.

As the huge Siberian tiger paced endlessly back and forth Lana did the same, matching him stride for stride in front of his cage. The turn the tiger did with his body was all grace and controlled power and was something that Lana wanted to get programmed into her body. Lana started to mimic and then by the second day had the turn down and locked into her nervous system.

Later in her legal career as star prosecutor in the Metropolis District Attorney's office Lana's pacing in front of juries as she did her brilliant trial summations became the court room trademark of the future legal eagle. More than a few times Intergang gangsters watched Lana Lang's shapely calves as they were paced to the maximum hard time sentence.

"I think we need break out of the easy conclusion that Clark is a meteor freak. One of the few times I am sure that Clark didn't lie to me about a rescue is when he saved me from the meteor freak hating killer Ian McNulty. When I told Clark that Ian McNulty told me he was a meteor freak and bullet proof Clark told me to my face that he was not a meteor freak."

Chloe started to cut in with a rebuttal but Lana quickly continued to make her point.

"Don't misunderstand me Chloe, it's not that I don't believe the same as you and Lex that Clark could have special powers, abilities or maybe just incredible but learnable skills. I just don't think we should assume that he was affected by the meteor rocks. In fact, I think one the reasons that we have never been able to figure out his secret is we continually choose the close and familiar answer that with Smallville being involved in anything unusual is related to meteor rocks."

Then came the Lex insight, "You have a point Lana but how about instead of trying now to jump to conclusions lets first try to determine or prove that Clark did have the kind of special meteor rock powers that we know from experience did exist in Smallville. And another question is why the meteor freaks disappeared from Smallville at the same time that Clark disappeared?"

Chloe said, "Lets save the second question for later and go after the first."

Lex smiled, "Don't forget to start at the beginning. Did Clark ever do anything unusual before my experience with the Porsche accident on the bridge?"

Chloe thought for a second while Lana gave her opinion. "I didn't really speak with Clark before junior year. Before that when ever I tried to approach Clark he would literally turn and run the other way. I mean I knew he had a crush on me; that was obvious. But I could never figure out why he went out of his way to avoid me?"

Lana tossed up her hands in frustration. "I remember in grade school when ever we were in the same class and the teacher decided to seat us alphabetically. Of course having last names of Kent and Lang we would end up sitting together in the same row. But when that happened immediately Clark would go to the teacher and give some lame excuse to get moved to a desk away from me."

The hurt was still there and obvious in Lana's voice, "For a guy that I used to catch looking at me all the time he really went out of his way to avoid sitting with me or talking to me or in fact getting anywhere near me."

The bitterness and bruised feelings never left Lana that Clark for all those years got to love her even if it was from afar while she never had the chance to have that great love of her own or to return his feelings until years later. Even then it was only for a few sweet days that they were together.

Lana realized that she was getting off topic and too introspective for a brainstorming session. "Sorry Lex I guess all those years in grade school of not having Clark as a friend considering how important he was to me in High School still hurts. To answer your question I really didn't become suspicious of Clark until he denied saving me from the tornado. The reasons aren't very profound it's just because I wasn't looking for Clark to be anything more than just a super nice handsome farm boy with the perfect parents. Now when I look back he did do some suspicious things in freshman year."

Chloe had collected her thoughts, "I always thought Clark was interesting and no not always like that," Chloe added when Lana and Lex gave each other a look.

Chloe continued after her look silenced Lana and Lex. "For example Clark would always miss the bus but then somehow end up at Smallville High on time. When ever Peter or I asked him about it he would have some lame excuse ready like he caught a ride. Even so I never got suspicious of him since there was so much other Wall of Weird material to investigate. It was only later that when I look back and analysis the times he rescued me I realize that he just kept doing things that were not possible for an ordinary farm boy."

Lex crossed his arms and said, "Ok this is a good direction. When Clark rescued me from the river it showed the possibility of unusual powers so what rescues are you talking about?" Lex then added, "And again start from the beginning."

Chloe paused for a second and then remembered her first rescue. "It's was during junior year the night of the pep rally for the football game. The meteor freak coach started a fire trapping me in the Torch office. I called to Clark who was outside at the pep rally. I didn't notice it at the time since I was trying to avoid being burned alive but Clark was in the Torch office just moments after being outside in the field at the pep rally. There is no way he could have covered that distance so quickly since it included climbing the stairs."

Lex reached up to his flow chart and underlined the word speed on the blackboard. "Ok if I hit Clark with my Porsche and he not only survived but was able to then dive down to me and pull the top off my car to rescue me. That says Clark is incredibly tough and strong while Chloe's experience says he is also fast. The speed is something I am sure of more than anything else. There is simply no way that Clark could have rescued so many of us, and not just us but all those other people without being fast. No one can be two or three places at once so unless the Kent's adopted triplets Clark is fast."

Lex looked over at Lana and asked her, "What about you Lana; when did Clark first rescue you and was their anything strange about it?"

Lana let out a heart felt sign and shrugged her shoulders, "I don't think the first one is going to be much of a help since I was unconscious. It was when Tina Greer attacked me in the grave yard and when she did I lost consciousness. When I woke up I was in a crypt I couldn't open the stone cover and when the air ran out of passed out. Later I came to after Clark found me after he fought with Tina and defeated her. Clark told the sheriff Tina told him which crypt she put me in and he had used a sledge hammer to break through the stone cover."

Chloe's eyes narrowed, "There is one thing you are missing Lana. Tina's bone morphing made her super strong. Even while drugged up they needed four orderlies to control her at Belle Reve. When I checked out the graveyard after Clark saved you there were several grave stones smashed up in the fight between Clark and Tina. How could Clark have defeated her if one of her meteor rock powers was strength?"

Lex looked at both girls, "You are both right. I wouldn't be surprised if there was something suspicious Lana in your rescue from the crypt but with the only witness being unconscious I don't see how we could ever prove it."

Lex then gave Lana a small smile, "I do have one question and think hard, did you ever see in all the time you spent in that graveyard, a sledge hammer just lying around outside by the gravestones?"

Lana quickly gave Lex his answer, "I don't need to think about it. I am sure I never saw a sledge hammer just lying around the graveyard near the tombstones of my parents. If there was one in the graveyard it would have been kept in the caretakers shed with the lawnmowers and other tools and that is over on the other side of the graveyard. How could he have got to the shed and back to the crypt to save me before I suffocated? That could only mean that Clark fought Tina without a weapon. Clark must have an ability like Tina's strength or the super speed you have been talking about to have defeated Tina."

But Chloe has a different insight, "We are just making assumptions and it's all speculation and conjecture. Now don't get me wrong I know there is something different about Clark but if all this is true I mean powers like being super tough, fast and strong how could Clark in junior year have ended up as the scarecrow?"

Lana just shrugged her shoulders, "I was just about to mention that myself Chloe. There are also other times Clark was hurt or attacked. I remember Clark getting so sick with that fever,"

Lana mentally cringed at herself as she remembered she was so emotionally affected that she had been unable to bring herself to visit Clark after he had passed out on the porch in front of her. "And Perry White thought Clark had all these special powers just like we are speculating about now and he jumped into a gorge to try to prove it and almost ended up killing himself and Clark."

Lex thought for a second and said, "Clark's powers might be complicated. They could be variable in magnitude or he might not have them all the time. Also they could be dependent on some external source or stimuli."

Lex was starting to think back to the night he found Cark as the scarecrow and was tapping his forehead with a piece of chalk trying to bring that night from so many years ago into focus. Lex started to think out loud, "I was the one that found Clark tied up as the scarecrow in that cornfield…"

"What! You did!" the girls exclaimed at the same time. Chloe shook her head, "I can't believe you or Clark never told me that."

Lana couldn't believe it, "Even after I went over to the Kent farm to apologize to Clark for Whitney and the scarecrow I never thought to ask him how he escaped from being tied up in a field."

Lex looked apologetically at both the girls, "I am sorry I never told either of you but lets face reality being the butt of the joke for a bunch of football players was pretty traumatic for a freshman high school student. So the next day at the farmer's market when Clark told me he just wanted to forget it ever happened I never said anything about it to anyone.

Lex sighed and continued, "Even though Clark didn't use any unusual powers to stop the jocks from hanging him up in a field the scarecrow incident is not as straight forward as it might appear."

Lex turned back to his ancient blackboard and started to outline the connections in flowchart form as he told the story to Lana and Chloe. "When I saw Clark hanging on that cross he looked as close to death as anyone could be who is still breathing. I really thought he was in the last stage of hypothermia. Then when I untied him before I could catch him he fell down and hit the ground like as a dead weight. I thought he had passed out and broken every bone in his body. Then he sprung up like there was nothing wrong and said he was ok and had to go. Of course I said I would call for an ambulance so I looked down to my mobile to dial and when I looked up Clark had disappeared."

Lex turned around from the blackboard to face the girls. "How does Clark go from suffering from advanced hypothermia after being tied almost naked for hours in a corn field to being able to physically disappear in a second?"

Chloe looked up from her laptop. "Not only that Lex, remember what Pete said to us at the Talon barbecue the day that Clark disappeared?

Both Lana and Lex gave Chloe a blank stare then Lana said, "What are you referring to Chloe? Pete said a lot of things to each of us about Clark that day most of which I would like to forget."

"Lana; Pete said Clark had saved the life of everyone at the dance by stopping the former scarecrow and meteor freak Jeremy Creek from doing a Carrie and electrocuting everyone at homecoming." Chloe's eyes were flashing as she put it together, "So not only did he recover from being in a field hanging for hours to disappear in a second once Lex got him down Clark was also able to fight a meteor freak that had the power of a lighting bolt."

Lana thought about what Chloe said and concluded there had to be something to it. Pete had said that Clark saved their lives time and time again and half the time he did it when they didn't even know they were in danger or who was responsible for saving them.

Just then another piece of the jigsaw puzzle fell from the sky and landed in Lana's brain. "Chloe do you remember what happened after the dance? We came out and the Grandville Griffins had snuck over during the dance and stacked the trucks of Whitney and two other football jocks."

Chloe looked a little confused, "So what Lana? That was just a football prank."

Lana gave a knowing smile, "What if it wasn't a football prank? You see Chloe I had a good friend that was a Griffin Cheerleader that year and she said their football players never stacked the trucks because they had a big football/Cheerleader party that night and everyone stayed in Grandville and partied most of the night."

Lana turned her palms up and lifted her small delicate hands into the air. "Clark Kent suffering from hypothermia in a corn field disappears from under Lex's nose. Then somehow he gets to Smallville High homecoming dance without a ride; Lex would have saw or heard if Clark got into a car or truck. Then Clark fights a meteor freak saving us all. After all that the anonymous hero that we all know Clark is disappears into the night but not before stacking the jocks truck's for hanging him in a field."

Lex ran his hand over his bald head. It just didn't feel right to him. A teenage boy having the strength to stack trucks just sounded too Warrior Angel for real life. "It fits the time line Lana and even though I know Clark is strong. Maybe a lot stronger than the average man can you really believe he could stack three trucks? He was as weak as a kitten when I found him hanging in that corn field."

Lana signed as the brainstorm session hit another dead-end. "I know Lex; I was just trying to think out of the box. If he could stack three trucks he could maybe even survive being hit by the Porsche at sixty miles an hour."

That made Lex think a second about not dismissing it as too Warrior Angel for real life. "You are right Lana." That statement caused Lana and Chloe's heads simultaneously to snap toward him so Lex quickly held out his hand in the classic stop gesture. "Easy guys, what I meant was we shouldn't dismiss anything too quickly but be listening to every idea and explanation no matter how far fetched they first appear."

Lex turned back to his flowchart on the board. "Maybe Clark having that kind of strength is not so unbelievable. I have several incidents up here where Clark would need to have super strength like what Lana was talking about to have completed a rescue. Just having the strength to pull both me and Earl Jenkins up together when the walk way collapsed at the fertilizer plant the day of the hostage crisis would take more strength than the average man. However regarding the speed thing; that I don't have a doubt about since Ryan confirmed that at the Talon when I pulled a gun on Clark's Uncle Thor-el."

This was news to Chloe, "Holy shit! What do you mean you pulled a gun on Clark's Uncle! Jesus Lex, I thought you said he just showed up for Ryan's graduation and you two spoke with him about Clark?"

Lana quickly answered for Lex, "It was a bit more of a meeting than that Chloe and we will get to it but first we need to stay on track with the timeline. I will fill you in later on what happened last weekend at the Talon and also what happened when I met Thor-el with Aunt Nell at the farm just before he left?"

Lana had told Lex she met Thor-el when he brought Nell home in the morning but had not given him any details. There were two reasons she really didn't want to talk about the meeting just yet. First she wanted to completely discuss their mutual experience with the Clark Kent mystery from the Smallville High days independent of the Thro-el factor. And second she really didn't want to bring up swallowing a pint of pink raspberry semen if she could possibly avoid it. It would really be nice to solve the mystery of Clark Kent without having to reveal that rather embarrassing detail.

Lex had presided over dozens of board room meetings so quickly he brought this informal brainstorming session back to the topic da jour. "Just because Clark is sometimes hurt or at other time doesn't appear to have special abilities doesn't mean that he never has them. Maybe the time that he has to call on special power is finite."

"You mean like he uses them up and has to rest or whatever before they come back?" Lana said.

"Exactly like that Lana; maybe when Whitney and the jocks grabbed him Clark didn't have his powers. Then later when I freed him he went from looking like he was dying of hypothermia to suddenly doing a trademark Clark Kent disappearance. We know from Pete that Clark with no car got from that corn field to Smallville High homecoming dance in a very short time. And then instead of coming inside Clark fought a meteor freak saving everyone. Maybe after defeating Jeremy Creek Clark still had energy or power or whatever left over so he stacked the trucks of the jocks that made him the scarecrow. It certainly would explain why the Grandville Griffin football players didn't do it."

Chloe pointed at Lex, "You know Lex nothing personal but I wish I would have been with you when you found Clark as the scarecrow. If your suspicious are correct then there may have been something there on the scene that kept Clark from fighting back against the jocks."

Lex thought about it and then dismissed it. "There wasn't anything there Chloe but a very sick Clark with a red S on his chest, his clothes and Lana's necklace. That was it."

Lana Lang eyes widened and she almost yelled, "What did you say about my necklace?"

This had been happening a lot so far in the evening to just about everyone but once again Lex looked confused. "You know your meteor rock necklace you used to wear. I found it in the corn field just after Clark disappeared. I didn't know it belonged to you until the next day when I met you again but for the first time in Smallville. I noticed you were wearing it in that photograph of you at a riding competition in the stables with your trophies."

Lana was shocked, "I never knew that? Why didn't you give it back? And why would you give it to Whitney? I didn't even know you knew Whitney?"

Lex looked at Lana and Chloe and all he could think was, 'Here I come with another revelation that will end up surprising us all."

Lex started with his explanation, "Lana I will tell the whole story and answer all your questions but I think what we tell each other here is going to be a great example of what happens because we don't communicate with each other. We have to stop assuming things because when it comes to Clark Kent I think the only one with the whole story is Clark himself."

Lex gave a long sign and continued, "Ok, after seeing your necklace in the photograph I called up Clark the next day and had him drop by the mansion after school. When he did I gave him your necklace so he could return it to you. My reasons were that Clark returned the truck I bought him for saving my life at the bridge crash…."

Lana and Chloe's eyebrows rose after hearing about the attempted present of a new truck. "And I knew Clark had a crush on you so decided to give him the necklace so he could get credit for returning it to you. I remembered at the riding stable when I commented on the necklace in the photograph that you said you lent it to your boyfriend Whitney. I thought that the necklace must have fallen out of Whitney's pocket when he and the jocks were hanging up Clark in that field."

Lex felt a little sheepish about being to manipulative in the high school romance department but finally completed his confession to Lana. "I'm sorry about not immediately returning it to you but I owed Clark for saving my life. I also wasn't a big fan of Whitney since he and the jocks hung up in a field the guy who saved my life. I just didn't see any harm in it. I knew Clark would give you your necklace and he was crazy about you so I decided to set up Clark as the good guy in your eyes."

Lana rolled her eyes, "Gee Lex didn't you know Clark always was the good guy to me. A good guy that seemed to have a crush on me but wouldn't talk or sit near me."

Lana looked a little confused, "But Lex how did Whitney get my necklace?"

"What do you mean? Clark gave it to you and I just assumed you didn't have the romantic reaction to getting it back from him that I expected." Lex smiled, "Or he hoped for."

"Lex, I gave my necklace to Whitney for luck the day before the homecoming game. When I found out about Clark being the scarecrow," Lana pointed at Lex as it started to come together. "And let me guess; you planted the doubt in my mind over where Whitney was before the game so I would confront him about making Clark the scarecrow."

Lex gave Lana a sheepish smile at being busted as Lana continued. "Whitney said he had lost the necklace but didn't tell me it was when he and the jocks were hanging Clark up in the cornfield. Later after Whitney found me in bug boy Greg Arkin's tree house I decided to give our relationship a second chance."

"But then did Clark give you your necklace back?" Lex asked.

"That's just it Lex, in the evening after Whitney found me in the bug boy's tree house I was home and heard a noise on the porch. I called out and when I went out my necklace was hanging on the front door. I assumed that Whitney found it and being embarrassed returned it by just leaving in on the doorknob for me to find."

Lex thought about it for a few seconds. "Lana, I gave the necklace to Clark and I am sure that he didn't give it to Whitney. After all the guy had just hung him up in a field. Clark did have a big crush on you."

Lex came to his conclusion. "The only thing that could have happened is Clark returned your necklace anonymously.

Lana started to pace again in frustration. "Anonymously, he saves our lives, anonymously he returns my necklace, anonymously he has a crush on me but won't sit beside me, always anonymous."

Chloe didn't know if Lana was ready to hear this but finally decided that if they were going to brainstorm they might as well get it all out. "Lana I know you might not want to hear this but not only did Clark save you and the rest of us at homecoming. Pete told me a few years ago that it was Clark that saved you from Greg Arkin. Clark found you in the tree house but was attacked by the bug boy. They fought each other in the old foundry and as usual when it came to meteor freaks Clark won. While Clark was in the foundry fighting to saving you; Whitney showed up and found you and took you to safety. It's not really anyone's fault since neither you or Whitney knew Clark was in the foundry fighting the meteor freak bug boy."

"That's just great," said Lana. "So not only did I think the wrong guy saved me I also thought the wrong guy returned my necklace.

Then Lana's eyes flickered as she reconstructed the time line in her head. "Lex you said you gave Clark the necklace when Clark came over the mansion after school. Was that right after school?"

Lex thought for a second, "Yes."

"Well I went over to the Kent farm for the first time that day after school to see Clark to apologize for Whitney and the jocks making him the scarecrow. Clark wasn't home yet so Mrs. Kent let me wait for him up in his loft."

Lana pointed at Lex, "So Clark must have been late getting home from school since he went to see you and you gave him my necklace to return to me."

Lex wasn't sure where Lana was going with this but shook his head as a yes.

"If Clark had my necklace why didn't he return it to me in the loft? It would have been the perfect time. I told him I was mad at Whitney and I told him that Whitney had lost my necklace. I even said I was not sure about the future of my relationship with Whitney. Yet Clark didn't give me my necklace when he must have just got it from you. You had even just told him to return it to me and it could maybe help get us together. Why didn't he give it to me then? He didn't want to keep it since he returned it anonymously by hanging it on my door. Why the hell would he choose to return my necklace anonymously instead of giving it to me?"

Lana face sunk into her small hands and quietly, almost to herself whispered, "Lex was right. If Clark would have given my necklace to me in the loft I would have melted right there into him until our bones chimed against each other."

Lex and Chloe stared wide eyed at Lana's confession on how she felt about Clark that first time together in the loft.

Lana looked up at the two of them looking at her. "What changed between the loft and that evening on the porch that would cause Clark to choose to return my necklace anonymously to me? It just doesn't make sense."

Lex and Chloe were both stumped and their faces showed it.

Finally Lex summed up their frustration. "I really don't have a clue Lana. I gave it to him and he had the perfect time to give it to you and then he does it behind your back the net result is the girl he has a crush on gives her boy friend another chance."

Lex turned back to the blackboard, "My plan to use the necklace to get Clark and you together didn't work at all. Instead I got you and Whitney back together and to top it all off a plan that goes totally wrong I lost my lead jewelry box my mother gave me for my birthday."

That grabbed Lana's attention. "Did you say lead jewelry box? Clark borrowed my necklace the night he stopped Eric Summers and then returned it in a beautiful lead jewelry box. He had my necklace in it and when he gave to me he said it would keep my memories safe while not allowing them to hold me back. That was the day I stopped wearing my necklace all the time."

Lex in quick description confirmed it was the same lead jewelry box.

Chloe then stepped into with her own question, "Lana you said Clark borrowed your necklace before he went after Erick Summers. Why did he borrow your necklace?"

Lana shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know. When I asked him why he needed my necklace he just said it was complicated. A few hours later he returned it in the lead jewelry box Lex gave him. I didn't even find out until the next day at school that Clark had been the one that stopped Eric Summers after he attacked his father and fought the police."

Chloe started to slip into Wall of Weird mode. "You know there was something funny about Eric Summers compared to all the other meteor freaks. He was the only meteor freak with more than one power. Remember how strong he was and then how fast he moved when he ran out of the parking lot after attacking Holly's boyfriend and then tossing Clark onto the roof of that car?"

Lex cut in, "I remember that because I was investigating Clark trying to figure out how he survived being hit by my Porsche. After seeing the x-rays and Clark being bruised and injured at the hospital from being tossed onto that car roof I lost my suspicions about Clark for some time."

Lana now got back into brainstorming mode. "Chloe you saw how much stronger Eric Summers was than Clark when Eric over turned that SUV and then tossed Clark thirty feet onto the car roof." She then turned to Lex, "And you saw how hurt Clark was at the hospital.

Both Lex and Chloe shook their heads at Lana in agreement. "Then can anyone tell me why being still injured Clark would come to the Talon and borrow my necklace and then go and fight a super strong and fast meteor freak with just my necklace?"

Chloe buried her face in her hands. "I don't believe this Lana. Tonight we were supposed to brainstorm into finally figuring out the truth and instead we have flushed out a whole bunch of additional Clark Kent mysteries."

Lana had her come back ready, "It's not an additional mystery if Lex is right."

"What do you mean?" said Chloe, quickly followed by Lex, "Ya, What do you mean?

Lana answered them, "What if you are right Lex and Clark has powers; powers enough to fight and win against Eric Summers a super strong and fast meteor freak but Clark's powers are not always turned on but are variable. He didn't have any powers available when Eric tossed him onto that car roof and he ended up in the hospital but he could have had powers again when he fought Eric that evening and when you hit him with the porch on the bridge. Some kind of variable powers would explain a lot about Clark Kent."

The brainstorming session continued with in depth analysis of each rescue and mysterious appearance or disappearance of Clark Kent.

Lana brought up the time she had been kidnapped by Deputy Watts. Why did she see the gun pointing right at her then turn and hear the shot and instead of hitting her the bullet shattered the glass on the ceiling? And how did Clark keep from being hurt by the falling glass when he jumped on her to protect her with his body?

Chloe talked about how Clark found her in Chandler's field buried and somehow got the locked coffin open without any tools?

Lex talked about how he had been kidnapped and held in Club Zero and Clark got from Smallville to Metropolis just in time going up against a gunman while Lex was tied up and hanging upside down.

After all the years that had passed and discussing it in detail with each other all three began to put in perspective just how incredibly weird things were around Clark Kent.

The years that had passed since the rescues did not affect the intensity of the memories of Clark's rescues but they did allow the time for logical deductions to be made without the obstruction of adrenaline and the swirling emotions that came with a near death experience.

The trio talked every incident out and recorded each detail of every rescue on the blackboard and in Chloe's laptop until they came to the big one of junior year: The day of the tornados.

Lex and Chloe had just started to discuss the possibility that Clark could have saved Lana from the twisters when Lana decided it was time to drop a bomb shell.

She held up her hand to stop Lex and Chloe's conversation. "This rescue we can take care of in a second. I know for a fact that Clark was in the truck with me."

Chloe felt something was up, "How could you know for sure Lana? Even for Clark Kent a rescue in a tornado is not an average thing. How do you know you were not hallucinating?"

Lana gave the duo a tight smile, "Because I asked someone that knows?"

Lex leaned forward, "Who could you ask that would know Lana? You're the only witness….or did Pete tell you?"

Lana dropped it, "Not Pete, he would never tell any of us anything. It was someone else who isn't so cautious when it comes to the secrets of Clark Kent."

Shivers started to run up and down Chloe's spine while the usually unflappable Lex started to sweat into his Armani.

Lana with a conspirator smile on her face said, "It was last weekend when Clark's Uncle Thor-el dropped off Nell at the farm in the morning. I asked Thor-el if Clark had been in the tornado with me. I knew Clark would have told his Uncle Thor-el the truth. Thor-el said these exact words when he answered me:

'Don't you remember? Of course Clark was in the truck with you. After all you are from Smallville. How else could you survive in a tornado without Clark?'

So that's how I know."

Chloe was the first to recover, "Wow, that's a pretty good way of finding out but why would he tell you just like that?"

Lana just kept on smiling, "I wondered about that myself but you know the really weird part was Thor-el said it like it was the most normal answer in the world. It sounded like it would have been natural for him to do the same thing if he would have been there. Really he made it sound like it was just me that couldn't save myself. Or anyone else in a tornado."

Lex rolled around in his head what Thor-el had said to Lana. "No you are wrong Lana,"

Lex stood up as he focused on Thro-el's answer, "He is not saying it's only you that couldn't save anyone in the tornado but everyone except him and Clark. You can tell that when he says "After all you are from Smallville". Thor-el is implying that no one from Smallville could have survived in a tornado without their help. And by their help he is saying only Clark or himself."

"That's what Aunt Nell said," Lana injected. "Aunt Nell spent the night with Thor-el in the loft." Lex and Chloe's jaws fell open at that piece of information, so Lana pointed a finger at both of them in turn and said, "Nether of you ever breathe a word of that to anyone. If it got out Aunt Nell would die of embarrassment. Anyway she said after Thor-el's pillow talk she is sure that Clark and he share the same secret. It's like they have the same secret but the Kents don't. The Kents are just paranoid of protecting the secret while Thor-el doesn't see it as a big thing but doesn't talk about the secret just to keep the Kents happy."

Lana crossed her arms and continued to fill in Chloe on her meeting with Thor-el. "After seeing Thor-el again I am now completely convinced that Thor-el is Clark's blood relative. You could see it in the shape of their cheek bones, the color of their eyes but especially in the way they move."

Chloe was the first to say it. "So you think Clarks powers are the secret. So if Clark's Uncle Thor-el has the same secret as Nell believes then Clark's powers are not from meteor rocks but," Chloe's eye brows and voice went up together, "inherited genetically? Which means Clark would have meteor rock like powers from birth?"

Lex nodded his agreement while Lana simply said, "Yes."

Chloe leaned over and started to rub her forehead as she thought back to a forgotten conversation in High School. A few seconds later it popped into her consciousness from her memory banks. "Of course he inherited the powers. Well, at least strength because he had that when he was in grade one."

Lana looked puzzled, "How do you know that Chloe since you living in Metropolis when Clark was in grade one?"

Chloe started to sparkle, "Do you remember that project at Smallville High in junior year where we had to research a fellow student and write a profile paper on them. Clark got you but more importantly I got Clark. I interviewed the Kents and Clark but they wouldn't tell me anything good for my paper. So I went to Pete and he told me how he had been hassled when he and Clark were in grade one by a bully three or four grades up from them who was twice their size. Clark stepped in and pushed the bully through a door taking it off it's hinges."

Lana excitedly confirmed Chloe's story, "I remember that day. The bully was knocked unconscious and the school nurse ended up having to rush him to the hospital. So Nell is right. It isn't meteor rocks but secret powers inherited from birth confirmed by Thor-el having the same secret powers."

Lana turned to Lex, "That is why Thor-el was completely calm when you pointed that gun at him. He as powers like Clark."

Lex joined in the discussion, "But how or better yet why does Thor-el and now Clark have secret powers. If it's not meteor rocks what is it?"

Once again the brainstorming session ground to a halt as the trio hit the logic wall.

Finally Lex said, "Lets drop this angle of why Thor-el and Clark are the way they are and just concentrate more on the 'what is it and how does it work' question rather than 'why'."

Both girls tossed their hands in the air and nodded in agreement.

Lana provided a new idea, "How about this angle? When and how do you think Pete found out about Clark's secret? Did Clark tell him? Or did Pete notice or see Clark do something unusual in a rescue? What about it Chloe; you were close to Pete in high School?"

Chloe already was zeroing in with her investigative reporter instincts. "I think it was in second year near the start of the school year. I remember Pete telling me that he thought he and Clark were drifting apart due to Clark's friendship with you."

Lex clicked in, "So Pete's problems with me wasn't just due to my father buying his family out of the creamed corn factory but he also saw me as a rival for Clark's friendship?"

"That's right, I was chasing Pete for an interview because he had just pulled a driver out of a truck wreak. I could tell Pete and Clark were having problems and when I asked Clark about it he said its just guy stuff."

A light bulb went on in Lana's head, "I remember that time because I was having trouble accepting Nell's new boyfriend Dean. I was hiding out in Clark's loft waiting to Dean to leave when Clark came in and caught me using his telescope. After I told Clark my problems and that I had broken up with Whitney he told me Pete and he had a big fight and he thought their friendship might be over. Then when I asked him what they fought about he wouldn't tell me. Yes, it was a deep dark secret."

Chloe let out a long low whistle, "But Lana even though it looked really bad there for a while just a few days later Clark and Pete were closer than ever. They stayed close after that and in fact so close that at times I felt like a third wheel. Pete was always the joker before but after than time he became more quiet and serious especially when it came to Clark and his privacy issues. Instead of helping me tease Clark over his obsession with privacy Pete became protective of Clark and started shutting me down every time I started looking or even discussing how weird Clark was behaving."

Lex joined the discussion, "I wasn't at high school but from what both of you have said it sounds like Pete in some way found out Clark's secret. The information initially caused trouble in their friendship but then something happened to bring them even closer together and in fact strengthen their friendship."

"So Lex do you remember anything from that period?" asked Chloe.

"Not really, I was having problems with my father who was blind at the time and he moved into the mansion. I was financing research with Dr Hamilton who died shortly afterwards in lab accident. My father was interfering and getting obsessed about Dr Hamilton's meteor rock research. My father was really under a lot of pressure and I think this obsession caused some kind of a mental break."

Lex paused for a second the continued, "You know during this period due to my father and trying to get over my failed marriage to Desire Atkins I just didn't have a lot of time to spend with Clark. It wasn't until later when Clark under went that total personality change and asked to borrow the Ferrari that we started to hang out again."

Chloe shot a glance at Lana, "Yea that was weird."

Lana felt herself tear up a little, "That was my first date with Clark and at the end of it, all I wanted to do was forget it ever happened. But enough about failed dates lets drop it and concentrate on Pete. I am sure now after listening to you Chloe that when I was in the loft and Clark mentioned his friendship threatening fight with Pete it had to be about Clark's secret."

Chloe agreed, "No doubt. Those two never fought about anything. It had to be that. It's the only thing big enough to threaten their friendship. It did prove they had a real friendship since the secret coming out only kept them apart for a day or two."

Lex summed it up for them, "Well we now have a good idea of when Pete found out the secret but that is about it. Now we need to find another angle to explore."

Chloe was the first to come up with a new direction, "How about this, guys? Since we are pretty sure when Pete found out Clark's secret what about the danger it put him in? Remember the day of the barbecue when Pete said the danger in knowing the secret was real. He said within twenty four hours of knowing the secret he was threatened with death unless he revealed it. Later he said he was tortured and a FBI agent was going to toss him in the river to drown unless Pete told him Clark's secret?"

Lex had at least part of the answer, "Chloe I don't know about the twenty four hour incident but I do know about the rogue FBI agent."

Lana's eyes open wide as she exclaimed, "So Pete wasn't exaggerating? Then knowing the secret really is dangerous."

Lex nodded and answered their questions. "It was when I was helping the FBI nail my father because my father had tried to fame me for some murders committed at one of the Luthor Corp labs. One of the FBI agents went rogue and became suspicious that Clark was keeping a big secret. He kidnapped Pete and pistol whipped him and was going to kill him by drowning him in the river unless Pete told him Clark's secret. I got there just in time to stop the rogue FBI agent from killing Pete. That's the short story."

Lana ran the timeline through her head, "That was a short while before I was going to move to Paris. Clark invited me over to his loft for dinner and said he had something important to tell me. I didn't make it because Emily kidnapped me. Later after saving me from Emily I went over to the loft to find out what Clark wanted to speak to me about. Instead him telling me the truth about himself he just wished me well in Paris."

Chloe interrupted, "That makes sense Lana because around that time Pete came to see me to say goodbye before he left for Wichita. His face was all beaten up. It was really bad. He said he had been jumped in Metropolis by some skinheads. But now we know it was not skinheads but a rogue FBI agent after Clark's secret."

Lana's face radiated her surprise, "So it was true, what Pete said the day of the barbecue. The reason that Clark didn't tell me his secret was he had just met with Pete and saw how the FBI agent had tortured him. So it follows that knowing the secret and the danger it brings must have been why Pete decided to leave Smallville and move to Wichita. Clark must have decided that it would be safer for me if he didn't tell me anything and so he just let me walk out of his life and go to Paris."

Lana's eyes dropped down to the floor as she remembered how angry she had been at Clark when he dangled his secret in front of her. Then when she assumed that once again Clark had chickened out now she finds out that Clark, as always, was anonymously playing the hero and protecting her.

So she got on the plane and left behind the only pure of heart hero she would ever know outside of an epic novel. Unbelievable, she had the love of her life in her hand and instead of holding on for dear life she chose Paris and Jason over Clark Kent, the teenage hero of Smallville.

Lana felt like in the next few seconds she would drive herself over the edge with guilt but then Chloe pulled her back to the brainstorming session. "Lana there is another vital clue that could be the one that solves this whole sorry case."

Lex looked up at Chloe while Lana's eyes narrowed as she tried to figure out what Chloe was referring to. "Do you remember the day of the barbecue after everyone left Pete gave each of us quite the talking to?"

Lana let out a world weary sigh, "Of course Chloe, no matter how I try how could I forget Pete Ross trashing us all as Clark's false friends."

Chloe gave Lana a look. "Remember when you said Clark was wrong and you would never reject him no matter what his secret was? Pete immediately told you that Clark knew you would reject him because he had directly asked you about his secret before as a hypothetical question."

Lana cut her off, "Chloe of course I remember Pete saying that. Do you not think that now for years I have been trying to remember Clark asking me that question? I've thought about it every day and I still have nothing."

Lex joined in to back up Chloe's idea. "But you haven't had the two of us here to make suggestions, help with references and just look at it from another angle."

"Lex I don't want to be negative but I don't think it's going to help. Clark and I talked all the time during those years at Smallville High except for senior year when I was with Jason." Lana gave an involuntary shutter at the thought of Jason Teague touching her.

"We had dozens and dozens of long, intense, intimate, emotional discussions in the loft, at the Talon after closing and in the torch office. I can play most of them over and over in my head and the only conversation I could find that could be Clark testing me about his secret was after he came back to Smallville after running away to Metropolis."

Lana looked up to check Lex. She didn't want to dig up bad memories of Lex marooned on the island due to the love of his life Dr Helen Bryce trying to murder him.

When she made eye contact with Lex he just gave her a weak smile, "Don't worry about it Lana. That wasn't the best summer for any of us but it was a long time ago."

Lana smiled back and continued, "It was when Ian McNulty was murdering the meteor freaks and those people who he thought were meteor freaks. I compared Clark to him and Clark of course said he was nothing like Ian McNulty and then gave me this lecture on tolerance and how it wasn't the meteor freak's fault and they didn't choose to be different."

Lana got up and started to pace, "Later Ian McNulty told me Clark was bulletproof and a meteor freak so after Clark defeated Ian McNulty I went out to see him at the Kent Farm. I was suspicious of Clark and thought that he might be a meteor freak and just afraid to tell me because of what I said about meteor freaks after gill boy tried to drown me in the pool."

Lana's voice was starting to break as she tried not to cry. "He can't blame me for that; I had just survived by dump luck a meteor freak gill boy trying to drown me and I was still scared and in shock. I didn't mean to say that about all people affected by the meteor rocks."

Lana stopped pacing and said almost pleading to Lex and Chloe, "When I told Clark about Ian McNulty telling me Clark was bullet proof and a meteor freak. I wanted to let Clark know I wouldn't reject him and so I told Clark directly to his face that if he was a meteor freak it would be ok. When I said it for a second I thought he was going to let me in. He was finally going to open up but then his eyes changed and I could see the moment disappear. Clark then told me that he wished the answer was that simple but he wasn't affected by the meteor rocks."

Lana had to pause for a second and wiped her eyes. "I can tell when Clark lies to me. He lied to me about not knowing what was in the mysterious serum that kept Adam Knight alive. I could always tell when he was lying within seconds of him opening his mouth. The one thing I am sure of is Clark didn't lie to me that day when he told me he was not a meteor freak."

Lana had to stop for a moment to collect her self. She had stopped crying but was still in a very fragile emotional state.

Chloe quickly stepped forward to give Lana a much needed hug while Lex gave her back a little rub and said to her. "It's ok Lana I guess also this angle is a dead end but at least we know that Clark is not a meteor freak."

Chloe popped out a little laugh, "Some brainstorming session; here it is hours later and we are back to the best guess is Clark Kent is a meteor freak but then he can't be a meteor freak."

Lex stepped over the French burners on balcony over by the barbecue. The trio had been using them to keep the coffee and hot chocolate hot. "Do either of you girls want a refill?"

Chloe sounded out, "Come on Lex this is me. Do I ever turn down a caffeine beverage of Lex Luther's private blend?" Lex caught Chloe's eye and pointed to the hot chocolate.

Chloe lifted up Lana's head, "Hey there my Smallville sister do you want some more of that rich Belgium hot chocolate." Lana just nodded a yes which Chloe passed on to Lex with a nod of her own.

By the time Lex brought over the tray of drinks Lana was back under control, "I'm sorry about that breakdown guys but after Pete said at the barbecue about Clark asking me….…..….anyway for years I have played all my conversations with Clark over and over trying to remember where Clark asked me that hypothetical question about his secret."

Lana took a sip of her hot chocolate, "And guys it's not just because of that time Clark told me he wasn't a meteor freak that I know now he isn't a meteor freak."

That was their cue and Chloe and Lex leaned forward, "It was the day before I found out about Jason and ended my marriage. Actually it all started a few days before that when I discovered from a wedding dress client that Whitney was still alive."

"What!" screamed out Chloe while Lex just said, "Lana I found that out last weekend when Thor-el mentioned it at the Talon. When did you find out about it?"

"The short version is I was in Smallville checking to see if the story that Whitney was still alive was true. It was under very unusual circumstances but I did speak with Martha Kent and she confirmed that Clark was not a meteor freak but had been born the way he is even if she didn't go into any detail about special powers."

Lana got up and holding her hot chocolate walked over to lean against the balcony railing with the spectacular Metropolis skyline behind her lighting up the night sky. "I will tell you guys the whole story when we finish our drinks. It's some new information on Clark and his friends he is fighting in that mysterious war with but first I wanted to brainstorm the Smallville High years without any distractions."

Lex gave Lana a smile, "Ok, Lana I can't wait long so drink fast."

Chloe said, "Same here Lana but only because I can use the time to update my laptop with our latest discussion."

"Thanks guys," and Lana turned around to take in the stunning Metropolis skyline and the stars behind in the night sky.

It was quite a view but not the view of the night sky that Lana wanted to be looking at. Lana would have given anything to be back enjoying one of those delightful nights in Smallville up in the loft with Clark at her side as they both look up at the stars decorating the Kansas sky.

Lana looked across the street and then dropped her eyes down since the Lex Corp Building was so tall compared to the old 1940s classic sky scraper of its day that was the Daily Planet building.

The huge model of a planet with it's trademark rings around it looked like it was from a 1930s Flash Gordon serial. The planet turned endlessly letting every corner of Metropolis know that this wasn't any ordinary building but the home of the best newspaper in the world: The Daily Planet.

As the huge The Daily Planet model kept turning over and over as Lana sipped her hot chocolate. She never had really thought about it before but for no apparent reason a question just appeared in her mind.

"Chloe, I know Saturn has rings but didn't that flyby of voyager also reveal that Uranus has rings?"

Chloe didn't even look up from her laptop, "I just know about Saturn's rings Lana. After all I am a political and crime reporter not science and technology."

Lex as usual filled in the blanks with his classical education. "That's right Lana, Astronomers have known for decades that Saturn has rings but Uranus is so far out until the voyager probe flyby no one knew about its rings."

Lana took another sip and smiled as the rich aroma of the finest Belgium chocolate played with her pallet. "So it would be safe to assume that since the Daily Planet paper is over seventy years old that the ever turning planet at the top of the Daily Planet building represents Saturn and not Uranus?"

Lex shrugged his shoulders, "That would make sense since the Daily Planet started in the late 20s and back then they didn't know that Uranus had rings."

Lana after a few seconds asked, "Ok this is not a science question so tell me Chloe if the planet is supposed to be Saturn why did they call the paper the Daily Planet and not the Daily Saturn?"

Chloe's Buzan mind map software was acting up and she was getting frustrated. "How do you expect me to know Lana? The Daily Planet started as a gritty street level paper specializing in exposing city hall corruption and organized crime not a science magazine. So I guess for the name they didn't want to tie themselves down to just a known planet in our solar system but to keep it more general; you know, any planet in the universe."

"Oh, thanks." said Lana.

A second later a shooting star streaked across the Metropolis sky. Lana remembered back to Smallville and another shooting star she watched as a high school girl in the loft with Clark.

A moment later from the dark recesses of her memory Lana heard her inner voice comment on the shooting star, "Clark, look think it's a spaceship?"

Then for no reason at all a warm feeling appeared in her gut and nudged a memory to the surface.

What was that? Rewind a little and hit play……

Lana heard Clark's voice from the past whisper in her ear, "I mean, how would you feel about him if he actually was from another planet?"

Then a moment later a little stronger Lana heard Clark say, "You'd never feel completely comfortable with him, would you."

The Lana from the past answered: "I have to admit, I'd be a little freaked out……..does that make me a bad person?"

The teenage hero of Smallville told her the truth: "No, just honest."

Lana felt chills and her knees started to tremble.

Once again an invisible Clark whispered in Lana's ear, "You'd never feel completely comfortable with him, would you."

Right in front of Lana at the top of the 1940s sky scraper the huge Daily Planet mocked her as it kept turning around again and again.

This time an invisible Lana whispered in Lana's ear: 'It's called the Daily Planet not the Daily Earth!'

A mug of the finest Belgium hot chocolate slipped from Lana's shaking hand and smashed on the floor of Lex's balcony.

Both Lex and Chloe looked up to see Lana Lang holding her hands cupped over her mouth while huge eyes the size of saucers and that's flying saucers stared back at them.

"Lana are you ok? What is it?"

Lana slowly turned and pointed a trembling finger at the Daily Planet building.

"Oh My God! That's it. The Daily Planet, I mean another planet!"

……..Meanwhile 15 million light years away from Lex's Balcony

…….……..To be continued as Part 43: The Battle for the Planet of the Masood!


	43. A Call To Arms Part 43a

Part 43: The Battle for the Planet of the Massood: Invasion of Death and Slavery

Six Galaxy Standard Months Earlier!

Aisha was not in the best mood. She really wanted to be out on the street enjoying the spring festival but her parents insisted she stay home because the streets were too rowdy for youngsters. Of course being thirteen she tried to argue that she was no longer a youngster but as usual with her parents when it came to sounding grown up she got nowhere.

Also to add to her already dark mood Aisha was sure that her parent's attitude had more to do with her mother's need of a baby sitter and her parent's invitation to an adults only party than it had to do with her age.

At least her best friend Maia came over which made things a little better. Maia got along better than she did with her six year old sister Kolya which freed up Aisha to read stories to Saben who at three years old required a lot of attention.

Aisha thought about calling up her almost boyfriend to come over after she got Saben into bed but knew with Kolya in the house it was a risky idea. Kolya at six was at the age where she had finally figured out the difference between telling a story and telling the truth and she wanted everyone to know.

Aisha shuttered at the thought of Kolya spilling the beans on the boyfriend visit to her parents with Koyla's usual preface of "I'm telling the truth now: I really am" which Aisha found unbearable to listen to.

It wasn't that bad an evening spending it with Maia munching on cookies and watching entertainment cubes until of course Kolya grunted and in a very childlike way tossed her cookies.

Aisha rolled her eyes as she cleaned up Kolya. "Little kids aren't Massood, they are all alien and don't turn Massood until," She thought for a moment, "twelve or so".

"Twelve!" said Maia, "We were both twelve last year and I don't know about you but I was Massood."

"Ha," grinned Aisha, "When I was twelve I was not only Massood but different".

"Ya, different not in a special way but a weird way." said Maia as she rolled away from Aisha's playful punch. "Don't hit me; you know you like being different. You would be alien if you could."

Aisha let out a wistful sign. "I would be off this planet if I could. Five more years before I can even apply…aggh!"

"To do what?"

"Anything. No that's wrong. Not anything but something." Aisha started to wave her hands around describing arcs of excitement and adventure in the marvelous and vast currents of space and time.

The ever practical Maia dismissed Aisha's dreams, "You can't apply to the Weave Star Fleet Academy. We are not even in the Weave and thank the gods for that or we would be also in the war. Besides what would you tell them that would make them accept you even if the Massood were in the Weave?"

Aisha had spent hours thinking about that very question and still didn't have a good answer. She certainly didn't want to talk to Weave Star Fleet Officers about wish fulfillment and the hours she had spent in the family orchard staring up at the stars and promising her self she would be there someday.

It would be better to be matter-of-fact, practical and sensible. Weave Star Fleet didn't want wild-eyed dreamers especially not from a world that refused to join the Weave because it would mean having to be an ally in a war.

What was she supposed to say? Aisha simply said the truth. "Maia, I just love the thought of going into space." And then from the look Maia gave her Aisha felt the flush down her face and neck. She hated that her fair skin always showed her emotions.

Maia wrinkled her nose. "You are not going to leave. Come on, this is home. Our warm and beautiful planet not cold and empty space."

Aisha was just about to answer her when suddenly a single siren wailed in the distance. Then moments later the lights in the house and street brightened and then dimmed abruptly."

"What's that? A storm," asked Maia. Then the terminal in the other room came on with an odd message over the speakers.

"Attention, Attention, unknown incoming forces…………"

The sirens all over the city now came on in force.

Maia leaped for the door but Aisha caught her arm. "No, first get up Kolya and Saben while I prepare."

"Prepare what?"

"Just do it."

Maia ran upstairs to the children's rooms while Aisha with her mind racing fed in the combination that would open her parent's sealed cabinets.

Maia appeared at the door with the very sleepy and cranky pair of Kolya and Saben. Her eyes widened as Aisha pulled out two large cases: the military short range missile launchers issued to each adult Massood last year before the treaty was signed with the Clove.

Aisha could carry one by herself while Maia with Kolya on the end could carry the other one.

"We should stop at my place," Maia said but then fell silent as they watched the red and blue lines of energy blots crossing the sky. They saw a large flash on the other side of the city. "That was the space port offices," said Maia, for the moment still calm.

As fast as possible they shuffled down the street to the Block Recreation Center. Aisha recognized two classmates. One with her parents also carrying weapons and other one trailing a string of smaller children.

They got to the Block Recreational Center and spotted her parents. "Aisha, you remembered!" her father suddenly looked larger and more dangerous than he had ever before been in his life.

He grabbed the two cases and quickly opened them and started to put together the missile launchers. Aisha had watched such weapons being assembled in class videos but her parents were doing it too fast for her to be any help.

Another adult grabbed her arm. "You have had aid class?" when Aisha nodded the women said, "Good get over there". There turned to be a crowd of children around her age that were laying out an infirmary area for the potential wounded.

The Block Recreational Center stank of too many bodies along with the strengthening aroma of panic and fear. Aisha wondered of the invasion ships had landed yet. How many would there be? What kind of weapons did they have? Who could it be?

The Massood had a treaty with the Clove and the Weave never attacked anyone but the Clove. Could it maybe be a well organized fleet of space pirates looking for technical goods and slaves?

Maybe it was just a realistic drill? A lot more realistic than those drills they had regularly before their treaty with the Clove. Aisha then felt more than heard the first concussive explosion and the hope of a realistic drill died.

Waiting there unarmed Aisha realized that the twice weekly self defense classes were not going to do her any good at all. If the invaders had bigger guns; if they had weapons better than the Massood short range missile launchers they were all going to die.

Maia was beside her and Aisha for the first time noticed her trembling. "Maia," Aisha reached out and gave her a quick hug. Maia eyes watered but she didn't start crying and the trembling stopped.

Then they heard the invaders for the first time. A computer synthesized voice amplified over the sound of the battle outside the Block Recreational Center finished off the last bit of her hope that a miracle would appear to save them.

"….Surrender…will blow…resistance is futile…"

The adults know that as an inter-planet invasion there would be no mercy so stood their ground. Better to die on your feet than live on your knees as a slave.

A hole appeared in the wall opposite to Aisha as if someone had drawn it on paper and then ripped the center from the circle. The thought flashed through Aisha's head that bunched together in this building with walls so fragile was the very last place anyone should be.

Moments later her back felt hot and she turned to see a similar circle appearing on the wall behind her.

It was years later after she had the training to analyze such situations that Aisha knew that everything would have happened in seconds; from the double breaching of the wall to the futile resistance of the Massood adults. It was doomed from the start; pitting third rate missile launchers against the invaders armament, training experience along with powerful beam weapons.

However in the Block Recreational Center Aisha's mind seemed to race faster than time itself. She saw her father swing the missile launcher to face the armored assault tank that burst through the wall. A second later an energy beam touched his arm and his weapon fell with his severed limb. Her mother caught him as he staggered and together they charged the armored assault tank. So did others. A swarm of Massood adults tried to save their children by throwing themselves on the armored assault tank to stop it with sheer numbers. They died but halted the armored assault tank by throwing themselves into the tracks to jam them.

But it was not enough. Another armored assault tank followed the first, and then another. The Massood children saw their parents die before their eyes and then Aisha screaming like the rest of the children charged at the second armored assault tank.

Aisha expect to be killed in a second by an energy beam but instead the tank split open to reveal that it was an armored personnel carrier. The invader troops rolled out safe in their body amour from the blows and kicks of the Massood children. Then they tossed gas grenades and Aisha could not breathe. Choking on the gas she slid to the floor with the rest.

Aisha slipped away from the nightmare of invasion as she lost consciousness but later she awoke to a worse nightmare. She was still lying on the floor of the Block Recreational Center when the daylight coming through the hole burned in the wall awoke her.

Aisha was dehydrated, dizzy and her head ached. When she tried to roll over and retch something around her neck choked her. It was a thin collar attached to another on each side of her by what looked like nothing more than a thin piece of plastic. However this was not plastic but unbreakable: A slave collar.

Aisha panicked and clawed at the slave collar trying to tear it from her throat. Then a huge armored boot appeared in her face and gave her a bump.

"Quit that."

Aisha froze completely still. The voice had no softness in it and held nothing but contempt. Aisha knew without even looking up what she would see. Around her other children stirred. Crumpled, bruised and busted bodies some in pools of blood moved while others stayed as still as stone. Aisha heard the clump of more armored boots on the floor and she tried not to tremble.

"Ready?" asked a harsh voice.

"They are awake from the gas," said the voice that had told her to quit moving.

"Get them up and clear up this mess and get them loading and disposing."

Aisha got a sharp nudge of an armored boot in the ribs that made her gasp.

"You eight get up." Aisha got up unsteady on her feet. She felt stiff and clumsy and the slave collar and line interfered with her movement more than she would have thought. To others in her eight around her were having the same problems. They staggered into each other helplessly jerking on each other's collars.

Aisha snuck a glance at the invader. The face was invisible behind the body amour's faceplate. She had no idea what species the invader was or even if it might be female. What she did recognize is the insignia on the shoulder: Clove!

Aisha turned and saw another eight children struggle to their feet but a hard crack in her ribs brought her head around.

"Pay attention slave. The eight of you are a link; your number is fifteen. If you hear an order for link fifteen that's you so carry out the order and you better be sharp about it. You are link leader. Your link gets into trouble or is slow it's your fault and you get punished. Understand?"

Aisha nodded and then when the put end of the phaser prodded her ribs she wanted to scream defiance but instead she said, "Yes sir" in galaxy standard language.

Down at the end of link fifteen a boy said, "I'm thirsty." The invader swung his beam weapon toward him and said, "You are a slave now. You are not thirsty until I say you are thirsty. Then the invader swung his weapon back at Aisha to hit her with a blow that she never expected until it staggered her. "Your links disobedient number fifteen. Your fault."

While Aisha was trying not to fall from the blow she heard the smack of another blow and the yelp of pain from the other side of the room but by now she knew not to look around.

Link fifteen got their orders. "You carry the dead out. Pile'em on the crawler train outside. You work fast enough, hard enough and you might get some water later."

Aisha thought link fifteen worked fast and hard enough but the water never came. The children in her link were all around her age and they knew each other from school. It was clear that they didn't want to get her into trouble any more than Aisha with her ribs aching wanted to face more trouble.

Their task was horrible. Dragging dead bodies out, over and sometimes through the blood and mess still sticky on the floor. The worst was the bodies were of people she had known; grew up with.

Aisha tried not to look at faces as she carried the bodies but ended up recognizing friends and neighbors because of the yellow skirt that Cefa always wore or the charm bracelet on Torry's, a girl from her math class, wrist. It was worse than any nightmare she had ever imagined.

It was only later that she realized there were no wounded. The Clove invaders killed them while they were all knocked out from the gas. Only able bodied slaves would survive this invasion of the Massood Planet.

On that day the same scenes of horror that Aisha faced were being acted out at cities and towns all over the Massood planet.

When the Block Recreational Center, the last stand of her neighborhood was clear of dead Aisha and two other links were loaded on to the crawler train as well along with the dead bodies of their family, friends and neighbors. Clove invaders drove the crawler train while others guarded them sitting on the piled Massood corpses as if they were cushions on a sofa.

Aisha was sure that as soon as the bodies were disposed of they would be killed and wondered why the Clove invaders had waited this long. The crawler train clanked and rumbled along finally turning down the lane to where the city fisheries research station and pier was located. The fisheries research station was where Maia wanted to work when she grew up as a marine biologist. It didn't look like it had much of a future as a potential employer now. All the windows were broken and the doors smashed in. Aisha hadn't seen Maia since the attack or Koyla and Sabin.

The crawler train rumbled to the end of the lane near the start of the pier. There the Massood children got orders from the Clove invaders to unload the bodies and drag them down the pier and throw them into the huge inland sea.

After the first horrifying trip with the links tangling up the Clove invaders released the links so the children would work more efficiently although they still had on the individual slave collars. It was still hard with three or four children carrying a body to maneuver on the pier. The Clove invaders hit anyone they could reach; forcing them to keep moving, keep working.

Aisha had shut off her mind as well as she could and tried not to see the faces and bodies she handled. It kind of worked until with another girl carrying a child's body she was half way down the pier when she realized she had Kolya in her arms. They were near the edge and when she recognized Kolya she made a reflexive jerk, a scream tearing out from her throat. Kolya's body slipped out of her arms and fell away. Kolya's corpse thumped on the edge of the pier and splashed into the water.

Aisha stood upright, unable to move. Something yanked at her slave collar but her mind and body paid no heed. She heard someone cry out, "That was her sister" just before the end of a phase weapon cracked into her side.

She managed to avoid another blow by turning to start moving back to the crawler train which now held less of the Massood bodies than the waters off the pier.

It didn't get any better when then next body turned out to be Maia. As she shuffled down the pier with Maia's body Aisha made a decision. The other three Massood children helping carry Maia's body started to move to the side of the pier but Aisha whispered, "No all the way to the end". Three pairs of frightened eyes looked at her but Aisha stared them down. "When you hear the splash just turn and head back. Don't look back because I won't be there."

One of them whispered; "Good luck" while the others just nodded. When they got to the end of the pier and dropped Maia's body into the sea Aisha followed it into the cold water now filled with Massood bodies floating on the surface held up by the air trapped in their clothing.

Slowly Aisha made her way through the floating bodies using them as cover to swim further away from the pier and toward freedom. Well freedom of a sort and a life without friends and family.

Aisha was sure she was going to die. Alone and with no supplies on the run as a fugitive but she thought of her parents charging the Clove armored assault tank with their bare hands. Yes it's better to die on your feet than live on your knees.

Who ever had talked about the power of love never experienced the power of hate from a thirteen year old girl who in a few hours witnessed the destruction of her world.

It felt hopeless.

She didn't know how she was going to do it but Aisha knew she was going to fight back.

As she swam to freedom in between the floating the bodies of her people Aisha didn't know it but help was on the way.

Help was still six months out but the Crows squadron was coming and hell was coming with them.

………..Continued as same chapter The Battle for the Planet of the Massood: Trapped with the Lost Battalion in the Valley of Tamarrion.

PS Some might recognize the Muslim name of the prophet's favorite wife. Aisha is based on a Muslim girl I met in the Balkans who escaped Serb Paramilitaries by dropping into a river while being forced to dump in the bodies from her village. She made it and is today working as a nurse.


	44. A Call To Arms Part 43b

The Battle For the Massood Planet: Trapped with the Lost Battalion in the Valley of Tamarrion:

Nine months after the death of Aisha's family:

The Massood Commander was bitter. Ever since the Clove had invaded his planet it seemed that even the universe was plotting against them. The treaty they had secretly signed with the Clove while their diplomats acted out false negotiation games with the Weave had literally blown up in their faces.

What the Massood leaders had initially seen as peace in their time turned on their world in the worst way. The cost had been quickly paid with several billion lives when the Clove in a surprise attack broke the treaty.

Today in this cold and wet mountain valley the Massood Commander again cursed the arrogance of their so called leaders who believed that such a treaty or let's be honest and call the "so-called" treaty what was: A deal with devil, would never cost the Massood planet's soul.

What was left of his battalion had had a brief moral boost when the night sky for the last few months revealed that a huge battle was being waged off planet in near space.

Only a token number of their space fighters had been left intact months ago when his battalion had been cut off and forced to flee into the mountains and adopt guerilla tactics.

So after months of fighting in the mountains the lost Massood battalion was pleasantly surprised to see a large scale space battle erupt out of no where. Then after two months of a fireworks show in the sky every night a couple weeks ago the sky once again went dark as a victor emerged. No one in the lost Massood battalion knew who had been fighting let alone who was the winner.

The Massood were realistic and experienced enough to know the winner of the near space battle was not what had been left of the rag tag Massood space force.

If a miracle had occurred and the Massood space force won then the Clove ground forces would have pulled back out of the mountains and foothills to fixed camps with reinforced energy fields. Instead the Clove ground forces continued to patrol and probe the mountains looking for the opportunity to deal the death blow to his battered Massood battalion.

One of his junior officers, a born optimist suggested that since most of the Massood space force had been destroyed in the Clove's initial surprise attack then who else but an outside ally could be fighting the Clove in the space battle?

As much as the Massood Commander would like to dream he just couldn't believe that the Weave would choose ally themselves with the Massood after the betrayal of the ill fated Massood treaty with the Clove.

What was left of the lost Massood battalion was holed up in a deep valley placed in an awkward and difficult area of the rugged mountains. This part of the Massood planet had been heavily glaciated in the recent past and as a result the topography was barbaric. It was matched by the weather which was perpetual cold rain causing fungi and mildew to sprouted everywhere and that included their high tech military equipment.

The geography made a quick victory by any side an impossibility. After the initial shock of the surprised invasion the surviving Massood forces had regrouped and started a sustained and bitter resistance.

Briefly in counter attacks the Massood would liberate an entire region only to find them selves outflanked on their hard won position by Clove forces trickling in through adjacent valley and mountain trails. The fact that the Clove forces were all battle hardened showed itself time and again as their experience gained in conquering other worlds gave them a significant tactical advantage over the Massood military softened by decades of peace.

However for the Massood this was their planet and home. With their back to the wall staring extinction in the face even the most soft and civilized fight to the death.

So after recovering from the surprise of the initial invasion the Massood forces pulled together and started to fight like a race whose very existence is under the gun. Both sides could win and lose the same region in attack/counter-attack several times a year.

As the war went on the lost Massood battalion's contact with central command disappeared due to the unreliability of their battlefield communications because the Clove space forces shot down relay satellites as rapidly as they could be deployed.

The organized part of the battle for the Massood planet, which simply means still under central command, went on but now consisted largely of desultory forays by both sides against each other's fortified positions.

A recent airborne assault by the Massood to take back a major town in the mountains had been a total disaster. Descending air-cars had come under fire from not only forces on the ground but from those dug into the surrounding cliffs and hillsides. The survivors had likened it to trying to land an attack in a cauldron of molten lava.

Due to their supply lines safe in space every time the Clove forces gained a valley or a ridgeline, they tended better to hold onto it. The poorer equipped Massood could often be driven out.

The Massood battalion commander had lost half of his senior officers in what was not even a planned attack by the Clove. The senior officers had been in two air-cars which had been observing and supervising forward fire. They thought they were safe from direct attack as the two air-cars hugged close to the cliff face under a protective rock overhang.

The Clove scouts in their air-floaters were as surprised as anyone when they stumbled unchallenged onto the main part of the attacking force. The Clove air-floaters fired only to cover their retreat as they fled hastily toward the canyon from which they had emerged.

A missile fired wildly by one of the fleeing Clove air-floaters which was probably never sighted on any particular target had struck the granite rock overhang above the two Massood air-cars carrying half the battalion's senior officers.

The pilots of the two Massood air-cars didn't have a chance to react and probably never knew what took them out. The automatic defense weapons systems of the Massood air-cars were designed to defeat incoming missiles, projectiles and energy beams and did not even react to the tons of falling rock which struck the two Massood air-cars overwhelming their stabilizers, sending them tumbling to crash into the canyon floor a thousand feet below.

The loss was a disaster for the Massood battalion. If this had not been their home planet the Massood battalion commander would have recommended that they concede the planet to the Clove.

That was the nature of conflict. Advance and retreat, take and abandon. Retreat from this planet so you can live to fight another day to win somewhere else. Better to accept the inevitable defeat here and hope to gain a greater victory on another planet.

The problem with such tactics is when the planet you surrender is your home planet and there is simply no where left to run.

Also there was the additional consideration of the fate of the remaining Massood population. There was no way to get them off planet and it was immoral to leave them behind to be mentally broken and turned into Clove slaves.

Breaking the Massood population mentally was only the beginning. It would be only a few generations before the Clove genetically manipulated the Massood population into Clove puppets. The Clove would either transform the Massood survivors into genetically controlled soldiers or simple slaves.

The Massood commander thought it most likely that the Massood population would be turned into a bit of both. Some slave soldiers and the rest just slaves. It was facing a future as dark as that that the Massood commander wished for a home planet with a self destruct button.

Today the fate of the Valley of Tamarrion which hid the lost Massood battalion appeared to be linked with that of the whole Massood planet. The Clove had found their hiding place most likely by following his scouts. The Clove had all the luck when they stumbled onto the southern entrance to the Valley of Tamarrion.

He surveyed the valley from his command air-car that hovered at the far end of the valley covering the exit that he expected to use for their retreat and escape. Even now the Massood commander could see a general pullback had already commenced as the Clove gunners poured heavy fire onto the Massood troops.

The Massood fought back trying to out flank the Clove gunners. Once the Massood troops even recaptured a portion of the valley's eastern reaches. Their valiant effort ended in disaster when a horde of Clove infantry fell on the Massood attack from the heights and annihilated an entire squad. After that the Massood commander had no option but to order as orderly a retreat as possible to his end of the valley where their exit to escape waited.

The Massood commander inwardly cursed as another of his planet's valleys was going to be lost to the Clove. The lost of this valley was a metaphor for the loss of their entire planet, population and future of the Massood race to the Clove.

It never changed. The endless repetition of battle after battle. Time to pull back to another valley, another ridge. But eventually there would be no more valleys to pull back to.

Then they would make a last stand. The Massood commander had no intention of allowing his troops or himself to end up first as puppets and then at graduation as slaves of the Clove.

The preparations for the Massood withdrawal were nearly complete when one of the irregular Massood civilian guerrillas that had joined the battalion over the last six months came running into the command center.

The messenger was not an adult but a girl that looked around fourteen. The hand written name-label on her ill fitting battle armor said Aisha.

Aisha's worn battle armor had been taken from a particularly small framed Massood casualty and was scorched from several hits. Her left ear was missing. The battered mobile field hospital of the lost battalion was not equipped with such luxuries as regeneration tanks.

"Honored Commander a message from the officer commanding the rear guard."

"What is it Messenger," the Massood commander quickly looked for the homemade name label, "Aisha."

"We cannot get away but have been cut off."

"Explain yourself," calmly ordered the Massood commander.

"The commanding officer discovered through external monitoring the location of a hitherto unsuspected Clove strike force in the canyon behind us. They have artillery and surface-to-air weaponry with guidance to match. My officer said given our present situation he….."

"I am familiar with current conditions Messenger Aisha. Take this message to what is left of our artillery. We don't have the capability to deal them a significant strike but it may distract them. Without a diversion they will pick us off one air-car at a time."

The Massood commander sighed and continued to think out loud. "We cannot go forward because the Clove is advancing in strength and now we find the rear escape is an ambush. We may not be able to get out at all but we can try. At least we will take as many of the invaders with us to death as possible."

The Massood commander turned back to face Aisha. "I would like to know how the Clove slipped through our defensive perimeter to set up this ambush in the canyon behind us."

Aisha could only repeat what her commanding officer had said after he discovered the ambush through his listening devices. "My commanding officer suggested that the Clove may have been dug in there all along, only waiting for us to retreat to spring their ambush trap."

The Massood commander just shock his head in a half hearted yes and turned to his communications officer. "Inform all units of the Clove ambush waiting the canyon behind us. Ask them to hold their positions for as long as they can. I will coordinate with our artillery a full bombardment that will continued as long as artillery has cannon shells. When artillery runs short of ammunition it will be communicated in advance. At that point all units will attempt the down canyon out run. If we are lucky the Clove ambush will be concentrating on shielding them selves from the artillery strike and some of our troops may be able to slip by before the Clove has time to react and spring the ambush."

Before dismissing Aisha the Massood commander gave her his last orders. "Messenger Aisha, pass on my orders onto our artillery and then you will go directly to one of the blue wing sliders to board for your down canyon run."

Aisha started to protest that she wanted to stay with the artillery unit and help load the shells but the Massood commander dismissed her protests with a wave. "You have your orders Messenger Aisha."

The Massood commander didn't think there was much in the way of odds of a lot of them making it out past the Clove ambush but at least on one of the small fast sliders a fourteen year old Massood girl that should be in school instead of fighting a war had a chance.

The command air-car that the Massood commander would take on the down canyon run was slower than most but more heavily armored. At this point he did not care about himself but he badly wanted to save those who had served under him in the lost battalion.

The Massood commander's plan was simple. His command air-car would make a large and tempting target as it flew down the canyon. Normally it would be screened and defended by the smaller and faster Massood slider outriders, but there had been so many casualties in the battle that his command air-car would be forced to make the run without the benefit of escorting fire.

So the Massood commander planned to order off all non-essential crew. They could double up on the Massood sliders and transport air-cars.

If his command air-car made the run first and headed directly for the Clove ambush positions, the move might confuse the enemy. At the very least the command air-car would draw the initial response from the Clove ambush. Heavily shielded the command air-car could deflect fire that would down a slider or air-car transport instantly. If his diversion was successful, it ought to open a brief escape window for the rest of the lost battalion.

His calls for volunteers to crew the command air-car in the diversion was rapidly oversubscribed. The volunteer crew made quick preparations as time counted down to when the Massood artillery would shoot their ammunition dry.

The artillery poured the last of their cannon shells on the Clove positions both advancing from the head of the valley and the waiting Clove ambush in the rear canyon. No words were spoken in the command air-car as the skeleton crew dwelt on their final thoughts.

Soon it was time to make the feint.

The Massood command air-car rose flew into the canyon that was dark with swirling clouds of granite dust and debris of pulverized vegetation and earth. That would not be enough to shield them from Clove detectors or surface to air missiles. However the release of energy into the air as soon as the Massood command air-car was engaged by the Clove ambush would help to screen the sliders and transport air-cars carrying the surviving Massood troops as they bolted for safety.

Initially there was no reaction as the Clove ambush was well dug in and due to the activity by the Massood artillery they were in no hurry to emerge until they were certain the bombardment had ceased.

The Massood command air-car never saw where the first Clove missile came from.

It struck rear port side taking off a main thruster and cutting their ability to maneuver. Smoking and listing to port side the Massood command air-car began to curve across the canyon.

The Massood commander hung onto his chair, "Adjust right rear thruster to compensate."

But it didn't matter. Instead a long pause was followed by a single surgically placed second missile which struck the Massood command air-car amidships.

It hit hard enough to knock out all but one remaining thruster. Through the acrid smoke that filled the bridge the Massood commander saw that they would probably land hard but intact, unless they took another hit on the way down.

Habit and training rather than desire made him check to insure that his harness was tight. If he had thought about it rationally he would have released this safety harness. Better to die in the crash than survive to be taken prisoner and subjected to Clove "re-education".

The ground was coming up fast.

The Massood commander's head was ringing when consciousness returned; mocking sadistic fate had left him bruised and battered but otherwise alive. Coughing and fighting for air he slapped three times at his harness release before it let him go. The moment the safety straps were no longer there to hold him in his seat he fell to the floor landing heavily. There he rested for a luxurious minute before struggling to his feet.

Through the boiling smoke in the now destroyed bridge he staggered to the rear exit door. Not surprisingly the electronic control didn't work and he had to cycle the locking mechanism manually. The Massood commander fell through the opening gap, sucking in huge lungfuls of moist, uncontaminated air from the canyon outside.

Staggering toward the thickest stand of trees he almost tripped over a small body in Massood battle armor. His heart sank when he saw the Massood slider burning off to the right. A second look at the body and he saw that it was the young civilian girl, Messenger Aisha. He tried to save her and along with his whole battalion he had failed.

The Massood commander heard her moan and realized she was still alive and breathing shallowly. He dug up clumps of spongy wet moss and rubbed her still smoldering body armor until it stopped smoking. The Massood commander then heaved Aisha onto his shoulders and once again started for the woods.

As he did a voice ordered him to halt. The woods on this canyon floor were so dense, dark and full of possible hiding places, and oh so near. He couldn't drop the young girl and run zig zagging for the wood but instead tried to draw his sidearm. When he took another step something like a sharp blade cut him in the side. Instinctively looking down the Massood commander saw a small streaming hole in his uniform just beneath his fifteenth rib. He couldn't look but he knew there would be a matching hole in his back.

The wound took away his feet and with them any chance of making the woods. He fell to the side and did his best while on the way down to cushion the girl Messenger Aisha still unconscious on his shoulder so she didn't hit the ground like a rag doll.

Having the Clove take away his feet they were now trying to steal his vision; the Massood Commander mused as he lay motionless on the ground. He did not think he was bleeding. The wound was from a small bore beam weapon had cauterized his wound as it penetrated. That was not necessarily a good thing. It meant that he would die slowly and there was a great risk of being taken alive.

The darkness began in the peripheral edges and slowly moved toward the center of his vision to drag his consciousness away from the surface and down into a dark well.

It was a few hours later that once again the Massood Commander awoke to discover despite the best efforts of hard luck he was still alive. It was raining and a curtain of misty vapor added to his aches and pains by soaking him beneath his body armor.

The Massood commander looked around and realized he was in a narrow side canyon under a small slab of over hanging rock. A crude shield of branches and bushes had been erected to provide a small measure of cover.

The Massood commander heard them coming from the rustling of the bushes before he saw them. His hand was functioning but just not in tandem with his brain's commands. The Massood commander did his best to draw his sidearm but instead his fingers fumbled as they tried to close around the handle to bring the weapon into action.

Finally they closed around the weapon but them he discovered that no matter how hard he tried he could not life the weapons higher than his waist. The second option was only marginally less desirable than the first. The Massood commander fought to turn the barrel of the weapon just enough to aim the tip at his own chest.

The Massood commander's last thought of the Clove was I might not be able t o deny you victory but I deny you a puppet for re-education. However try as he might his traitorous fingers refused to obey.

A moment later instead of a Clove patrol Messenger Aisha appeared at the entrance of the narrow side canyon dragging a bush that she added to the small but growing blind she was constructing to hide their position.

He managed a hissing call to her and Aisha quickly dropped her load into place and quickly moved over to the Massood commander.

"Honored commander, our slider crashed and I was knocked out. When I regained consciousness, sir, you were lying next to me and we were far away from the crash site. At first I thought you were dead but then your heart still beat. I dragged you here when I heard the Clove patrols. The rain has covered our tracks and so far we have managed to elude them."

Fearing the worst the Massood commander asked. "What about the others?"

Aisha shook her head. "I do not know sir. I heard firing and saw flashes of light coming from both ends of the canyon. I fear that it means the Clove ambush and advancing forces located our retreating troop column. How many if any of the battalion managed to slip by them I do not know. Perhaps that is what distracted them from doing a complete search for us?"

"Some must have made it away," the Massood commander muttered tightly. His side hurt badly with a continuous burning as if a knife had been lodged between his ribs and then forgotten.

The Massood commander tried not to wince, "There is no time to lose. I am hurt badly Messenger Aisha. My last orders are to take my sidearm weapon and wait until dark and then try to escape through the Clove lines holding the end of the canyon."

Aisha's eyes turned huge and round. She no longer looked like a battle hardened waif but nothing more than a little girl that instead of being in a playground with her friends was lost in war zone waiting for the monsters to close in.

Her answer did not match her looks, "I am not leaving. Alive out there I have nothing. I will stay and end it here with you Honored Commander."

The Massood commander was trying to pull himself together and repeat his final order to the girl with the proper amount of authority when through the falling rain, scrub bushes and tall grass he saw motion over Aisha's shoulder.

"They are coming," he whispered. The Massood commander too weak to lift it gestured to his sidearm weapon. Aisha was at his side in a flash and drew the weapon.

Quickly the Massood commander mapped out their last stand, "Get against the rock face behind me and use my body as a shield. Don't shoot until you can smell them."

When they came they were even scarier than the Massood commander expected. They weren't the expected slow plodding Clove patrol bunched up behind amour support.

Instead a lean and mean wolf pack appeared spread out in V formation.

Fast movers stripped down to burp guns, ammo and water. Coming in quick, sweet and low.

Predators that have scented blood and are hunting. Hunting for them.

Not just running but racing to the kill.

Flankers moving and probing from the edge of the main hunting pack, staying frosty to tie up a bounce (ambush) were the ones closing on Aisha's crude blind of bushes and rotten vegetation.

The Massood commander didn't know how; it could have been sharp hearing, a tracker with observant eyes or even smell but the fast movers on flank of the main pack suddenly knew their hiding place.

In a seconds moving like dancers on a deadly stage; the fast movers in their flexable light battle armor broke into a disciplined skirmish line. The Massood commander could see the dark shapes in the mist coming in through the tall grass.

The ghost-killers moved on them with a tense grace so fast that the rain barely touched their shape shifter bodies and opaque visors.

Aisha felt death closing in.

But she had a weapon. She could see the enemy….she had a chance to be something she could never be in an ordinary life.

Flattened against the rock, finger on the trigger, listening to the wheezing breath of the Massood commander while waiting for the enemy. Aisha felt supremely happy; her heart very much in touch with her dead family and her lost friend Maia…….

………..To be continued as same chapter: The Battle for the Massood Planet: The Crows: No Worst Enemy, No Better Friend!


	45. A Call To Arms Part 43c

The Battle for the Massood Planet: The Crows: No Worst Enemy, No Better Friend!

Aisha brought the sidearm weapon to bear putting the front sight on one of the shadows swiftly closing in on their hiding place.

The trigger weight of the sidearm weapon was four and a half pounds and her finger already had four pounds gone.

Then in less than a heartbeat of locking the front sight there was a low growl and the ghost-killers disappeared like smoke.

There was nothing there. God, they were fast. Aisha scanned from side to side looking for any trace of the enemy. Even the tall grass wasn't moving. They just disappeared.

The Massood commander felt the hairs rise on the back of his neck. There was something wrong.

This wolf pack was too fast, too quick, too elite, too dam dangerous to be a Clove patrol. His brain tried to process what he had just seen. Then what he had just heard.

The growl, the speed. It was the only logical explanation. It couldn't be but then it had to be.

KZIN!

Any second they were going to be ripped to pieces.

The Massood commander coughed out his decision to Aisha. "Drop the weapon Messenger Aisha."

"But"

"Drop it before they kill us. They are not Clove."

Aisha didn't understand. She didn't want to release her weapon but then the decision was made for her when she felt a barrel nudge the back of her neck.

The Massood accent was atrocious but the meaning was clear. "Drop it: Now!"

The Massood commander saved her life. "Do what he says. They are not Clove."

Aisha let go of the sidearm weapon and it slid down the front of the Massood Commander's chest to the ground. Then the figure behind her vaulted over them and landed lightly then a moment later bent toward the two Massood.

Aisha noticed the figure was too tall and graceful in movement to be Clove. Also the insignia on the light battle armor was wrong. The insignia was a picture of some kind of flying animal with spread wings and underneath there was writing in a language she had never seen before.

Aisha and the Massood Commander didn't know it then but the writing was something they had never heard of called English and it said, "Go Crows".

There was a slight click as the figure before them unsealed his oblique visor and flipped it open. The Massood Commander was surprised not to see a face of orange fur, yellow eyes and two inch canines.

The face under the visor was flat, hairless, and symmetrical. Definitely primate not feline. Looking directly at him were two piercing sky blue eyes, together side by side, both facing forward for superior depth perception. It was the face of a predator.

The face was close to a Massood face but definitely alien. The Massood commander had of course heard about them after all they were legendary in the galaxy but he never expected to meet one in the flesh.

The Massood commander wanted to say something profound but all that came out was, "Your a son of Krypton, not Kzin".

The blue eyes flashed as the mouth turned into a grin. "Close but no cigar. I'm not from the planet Krypton but am just a look-a-like."

The figure leaned forward to check the Massood commander's wound. "I'm from a little planet you have never heard of called Smallville," said Major Whitney Fordman of the Crows.

"This looks kind of nasty." His face turned slightly to the side and then spoke in the growling language into the small receiver build into his fighting helmet. A few moments later they were joined by several other figures that formed an armored semi circle in the rain around the two Massood.

A Kzin medic knelt along side the wounded Massood commander. She set her field computer to Massood mode and started diagnosing. As she took care of the Massood commander she smiled at Aisha flashing two inch ivory canines that caused Aisha to flinch.

The Kzin medic was good but of course a Hivistahm doctor would have been better but no Hivistahm could cope emotionally with front line battle conditions.

The Massood commander felt something prick his side and the pain began to recede. He was immensely grateful for the relief, however temporary. A portion of his strength was returned to him.

A new figure arrived with the same deadly silence as the others; he just appeared out of no where. "Are there just the two of them?"

"Yes, wounded with a beam weapon and a field commander."

The new figure through his visor said to Aisha, "Are you wounded honey?"

Through chattering teeth Aisha said, "No, I'm just banged up a bit in the crash but I wasn't shot."

He raised his visor and right then Aisha got a full blast of the Kent grin. "Aren't you the little rabbit's foot. We need that kind of luck walking point for the patrol."

He addressed the medic, "Sira give her a shot for the cold." He turned back to Aisha, "Relax honey, your safe now."

He then winked at her and Aisha couldn't help but smile at him. He then turned to the wounded Massood commander. "Honored Commander, sorry we got here late."

The Massood commander heard the first one say to him, "Here is the son of Krypton you were looking for."

And a son of Krypton is exactly what stood before him.

"The others," the Massood commander heard himself ask the Kryptonian. "The rest of my battalion, the column."

"You mean your people that were trying to escape the pincer trap? We showed up when they were halfway down the canyon. The Clove were waiting for them."

The Massood commander's heart sank while the son of Krypton continued. "But the Clove weren't waiting for the Crows." Even in the dim light the Massood commander saw the white flash of the Kryptonian's incisors.

"We came down on them like the Ride of the Valkyrie of Valhalla. Scattered the Clove ambush to hell and gone. You lost some sir but the majority of your people made it out. A lot of them helped us fight after we nailed the Clove ambush."

The Massood commander breathed a long sigh of relief. "Can you get us out of here?"

"No problem, Honored Commander. It's our valley now."

The Massood commander heard the Kryptonian say it but did not comprehend. "How can that be? The Clove in front of us, in large numbers …. They were dug in, they had control of all critical positions…."

"The operative tense, Honored Commander, is past. After we came down on their intended ambush of your column we just kept on going. Rolled'em up like a prayer rug. Lost some good people. The Clove are hard fighters but they think instead of reacting, if you know what I mean. They never recovered from the initial surprise of our appearance where they expect their own ambush to be."

The Kryptonian stared into the darkness. "Nice rain tonight. Reminds me of home."

He then smiled again at the Massood Commander and Aisha. "But I bet you two are tired of the rain. Once the medic finishes we will get you two out of here and to some place safe and warm."

The Kzin medic continued to work on the Massood commander's wound muttering in a low growl as she did so. "Small bore beam weapon." She glanced up at him. "You were lucky sir. A little to the left and your spine would've been severed. She smiled at him showing him her two inch canines and the Massood commander wondered anew at the Kzin ability to feel warmth and pleasure in the most appalling conditions.

"No permanent damage, nothing that can't be fixed," she was saying, "Bet it hurt like hell, though. I would go in myself but considering where we are I'd rather let the Hivistahm doctors back at base have a go. Wish I had their technique. Never will."

The Massood commander tried to give her his best smile, "I am grateful for your help."

"I've given you something to help you sleep, sir. I'd rather you didn't try to walk. The medic team will be here in a few minutes with a stretcher. I know how uncomfortable this must be for the both of you in the rain."

A few moments later the Massood commander felt strong arms lift him onto a field stretcher and he heard the Kryptonian say to Aisha, "You guys will be out of the valley and safe back at base in a little while. In less than an hour I want you in a regeneration tank. A girl as pretty as you shouldn't be walking around with one ear."

As the Massood commander slipped into deep sleep he heard Aisha for the first time softly laughing as yet again another one of the galaxy's females fell hopelessly in love with Clark Kent.

……….To be continued as the same chapter The Battle for the Massood Planet: Aisha grows up!


	46. A Call To Arms Part 43d

Hi Sonic H20,

Sorry if there story arcs in outer space and North Korea are not to your taste but they are important to the story.

If you were looking for an conventional Clana story:

1. Boy meets Girl

2. Boy with secrets gets Girl

3. Because of secrets Boy loses Girl

4. Boy in fluffy wuffy way tells Girl his secrets to get her back.

5. Boy and Girl profess true love and shag each other senseless

6. Boy and Girl live happily ever after

The End

You are not going to find it here.

However there is lots of great Clana stories out there where the setting stays in Smallville or Metropolis that are far better written than a shooter in the sandbox can ever hope to match so don't expect me to even try.

For me I have to write with some detail to show new characters with a history. For example Aisha and Puss'n'Boots have to be characters that deserve to be Clark's friends and/or lovers and show him what choices heroic people make even when they don't have special powers. For that reason their story arcs outside the conventional Smallville plot line exist. This is the same way Lana, Lex and Chloe have to change and become better in other story arcs to once again deserve to be Clark's friends and/or lovers.

Clark himself being the hero has to want something he can't have i.e. an ordinary life as a human in Smallville. Self sacrifice is the basis of almost all heroic choices. That is why I am showing Clark in action in the Weave/Clove war. The reader has to see why Clark chooses what he does not want for the greater good of all.

Also Clark will never confess his secret in any of my stories. I think this confession that is written all the time is completely against Clark's character of integrity and self sacrifice. I personally believe the Clark would never confess his secret to gain even true love because of the danger it would put the person in that knows the secret. Clark Kent is simply a better person than most of us.

Clark has to chose (sacrifice his personal desire for an ordinary life) to be Superman. He wants Lana and a normal family life in Smallville and not to be Superman. That is why in my story there are no fucking paintings on caves or bullshit about destiny. I also never liked the comics where he goes to the fortress for 10 years training and presto comes out Superman. It's got to be a choice and one he would rather not make.

In my story it is the experience of a 100 years of war that shapes him into the character that power can't corrupt and who makes the hard choice between personal desire and the good of all.

So that is why these story arcs exist and there will be others coming along so if it really is too much to take my advice is to just skip them until we get back to Smallville or flush this story. There are a lot better choices for Clana stories out there than my blood and guts filled one.

However rest assured in a story arc coming up after Lana takes out a terrorist camp in the Middle East using Claymores and a suppressed P90 she will hit her stride and catch up to Clark's character development. Lana is my second favorite character after Supes himself.

Oh and regarding the sex thing; WB can make Clark and Lana virgins but I am not from the Bible Belt but Canadian. We are normal sexual beings up here in the icebox or even out in the Middle East in the Sandbox.

As I said in my introduction I find it easier to believe a space alien is going to high school in Kansas than Clark and Lana are virgins. Simply people who look like they do are born sexually driven and that's a fact. They are not going to be blushing virgins' celibate for all their years apart in my story. Out side of six foot walking tiger aliens and space ships that part of this story is going to be realistic to real life.

Cheers, SandSniper

Hi CantonJohn,

No the Massood are not from Star Wars. I am not a Star War fan so I didn't steal from George Lucas but I do read a lot of classic science fiction like Robert Reed, Joe Haldeman, Elizabeth Moon, Larry Niven's Ring World and of course I stole the Kzin aliens from the Classic series "The Man/Kzin Wars. Actually most of my stuff in this fiction is stolen from professional SF writers and real life.

Hey I am just not as good a person as I should be.

Cheers, SandSniper

Hi Winthjo,

Those Nazi thought police over at the Kyptonsite banned me when I made my first post ever outside my fanfiction thread. It was on some thread bashing Kristin Kreuk for being too Indonisian Chinese Dutch Exotic girl with a Canadian passport for the fans of standard white LA "OC type" actresses. It was a nasty thread with posters bashing the person, her morals and her ethnic background/looks etc rather than the character she plays on Smallville.

I didn't even swear or anything but just pointed out logically how tackless and clueless they were so got torpedoed by the Nazi monitors. They are dam lucky I am in the Sandbox and don't have the GPS waypoint for their little thought police HQ or there would be a napalm strike.

Cheers, SandSniper

Anyway, thanks to all for reading reviewing and here is the continuation of Part 43(d):

The Battle for the Massood Planet: Aisha Grows Up!

The Massood Commander awoke in a comfortable bed in the main hospital at Weave Base Central, his pain much subdued. The Hivistahm doctor clicked her teeth in delight as she leaned over to check on him while using her long tail to balance.

"How long have I been out?" the Massood Commander asked immediately.

"Almost five days, Honored Commander." The Hivistahm doctor answered as she checked the readouts on the nearby monitors.

"Is there a Kryptonian Officer named Clark Kent on base? I realize you would not know but if you could initiate inquiries it would be appreciated."

The Hivistahm doctor in excitement started to swish her long tail. "Truly there is no need Honored Commander. Everyone knows of the son of Krypton Captain Clark Kent."

"They do?"

"Naturally, since he is the leader of the Crows. The Kzin warrior Chuut Ritt is in command of the Weave campaign to liberate your planet while Clark Kent is the Regional Commander."

"The campaign to liberate our planet?"

To the Massood Commander who just five days ago thought all was lost the notion that his planet could be liberated from the Clove seemed as alien as the Hivistahm doctor's long tail.

"Truly. Many battles the Weave troops of Kzin and the Crows have won since they arrived on your planet in force. They won the war in space and have total air superiority. Now they are in the process of pushing the Clove main forces back over the continental divide. It is rumored that Crow infiltration squads are already conducting swift strikes on supply lines and depots in the foothills of the eastern slopes."

"Do you know what happened to my own battalion? We were in the battle of the Valley of Tamarrion."

"Those that survived the battle in which you were wounded are alongside the Weave Kzin troops fighting. The ones that weren't wounded volunteered, I understand."

The kind and compassionate Hivistahm doctor clicked her teeth. "Truly strange are the ways of those who are capable of combat."

The Hivistahm doctor looked back at the Massood Commander. "Some say the Weave Kzin troops will push the Clove off the Planet of the Massood by year end."

"That can't be possible." The Massood Commander mumbled. "The Clove positions are too firmly established, too well entrenched. Their lines of supply are secure and…"

Surprisingly the Hivistahm doctor interrupted him. "But you don't know how the Crows and the other Kzin troops fight. I remember seeing the recordings when they liberated my planet from the Clove. Visualize the most ferocious, hostile land dwelling creature imaginable and then give it intelligence and a deep devout belief in honor. Then truly you have a Kzin, son of Krypton and even the single example of the species Human."

The Massood Commander left word for the Leader of the Crows to visit him if at all possible. The Crows were in battle carrying out a relentless assault on the central Clove positions in the eastern mountains but several days later they were brought back to base for a few days of RnR.

The Massood Commander learned that when initial intelligence satellite reports identified his lost Massood Battalion trapped in the valley of Tamarrion it was the Crows that volunteered to take a crack at breaking them out. Now instead of the battered and lost Massood Battalion it was the Clove that was running for cover.

Clark and Whitney sat for some time with the Massood Commander brushing off his thanks with the usual "Aw shucks" attitude of true combat heroes.

Finally he could stand it no longer and the Massood commander asked them why they came to the rescue of the Massood. A people that had signed a treaty with the Clove while in fake negotiations with the Weave.

Clark just repeated what Chuut Ritt and Thor-el has said at the Weave council meeting when they argued that the Weave should come to the rescue of the Massood planet.

Thor-el said the Massood idea of a treaty with the Clove was flawed to begin with. It was the usual politically correct mistake made with dictators and terrorists where the Massood believed that being nice to a crocodile would make it polite enough to choose eat the Massood last.

While Chuut Ritt with a slight variation said simply there are no neutrals in the war with the Clove. The Massood mistook a crocodile that wasn't yet hungry enough to eat them as being allowed to stay neutral.

Whitney made an obscure human historical reference about the Massood believing in the Neville Chamberlain "Peace in Our Time" diplomatic guide to dealing with dictatorships. Of course the Massood commander had never heard of a human dictator named Hitler so he didn't make the historical connection.

Thor-el as usual had been right. Now the Massood have seen the light but in a very brutal way. They will be good allies and after what happened to their planet are as motivated as anyone in the Weave with destoying the Clove.

The Massood commander felt rather sheepish after that but quickly changed the topic slightly to ask what personally drove the two Crow warriors.

Whitney just laughed and said, "I really wanted to get out of a very small town and hey, it's just my style."

While Clark followed with a low but firm voice, "I just don't like bullies. Never have and expect I never will."

The Massood commander had one last request to ask of them. It was for the young Massood girl who they found with him ready to fight them all with just his sidearm weapon.

Her name was Aisha and she was no longer in the Massood battalion since they now had regular well equipped troops to send into battle. So since she couldn't fight she wanted to go off planet to an orphanage on a Weave controlled planet to school so when the time came she could apply to Weave Star Fleet Academy.

Whitney let out a low whistle. "I remember her. That is a hell of a gutsy kid."

Whitney knew how the girl felt but Clark was always a stickler for rules and protecting cute girls with brown fly-away hair from danger.

Whitney turned to Clark, "I know what you are thinking Kent but she is not a little girl from Smallville being chased by meteor freaks. She will never be a little girl again and she earned it with the loss of her family and nine months fighting frosty in that dam dangerous valley."

Clark rolled his eyes, "You don't have to tell me that Quarterback but it doesn't change the fact that she is still just a little girl."

Whitney stared Clark down and had the Massood commander's black eyes locked on Clark backing him up.

"Oh, don't give me that dam look. Ok, I will arrange it so she goes off planet on a Weave cruiser to an orphanage but after that she is on her own."

Whitney couldn't hear the sigh of the trademark Clark Kent guilt but then Clark's shoulders rose and fell he knew it had been silently given.

"Dam it Quarterback you can stop with the look. Ok, ok, it will be to the orphanage on Plant Sirialis (where the Weave Star Fleet Academy is located). But that is it. She has to get the marks, pass all the aptitude tests and apply like anyone else. No favoritism. Hell who knows? Walking everyday past white arches of the Star Fleet Academy while on her way to prep school might inspire her to study harder."

Whitney smiled thinking, 'When need be you can always guilt Clark Kent into anything".

"Good call Farmboy, I'll set it up. But you know something? I don't think that little orphan girl one is going to need any special favors from anyone."

The Massood Commander thanked the two Crow warriors again and then drifted off as Clark and Whitney headed out to catch up with Puss'n'Boots and the rest of the Crows that were out working on a wild night of eating and drinking and telling stories.

Aisha didn't know it but she was never going to make it to that orphanage on planet Sirialis.

Aisha left her former home the Massood planet traveling in a Weave star cruiser. She shared a room with three Kzin females in the dorms for those Kzin that had yet to take mates.

The lonely trip was made bearable by the friendly Kzin Jigs (Fleet slang for Ensign Junior Officers) who were born to be both heroic Kzin warriors and future mothers. The Kzin Jigs showered the young Massood girl with the kind of affectionate attention she hadn't enjoyed since the loss of her family.

After a few days they even made her feel like a real member of the crew by assigning her a regular watch that consisted of working with the chief weapons engineer, an old scared up spacer called Chief Abe.

The Fleet veteran Chief Abe and the Massood battle waif were both very lonely and found that they shared more than just loneliness but also the heart ache of loss. Even with fifty years difference in age they bonded and became instant best friends and soul mates.

Chief Abe had lost his family to Clove raider's years earlier when he had first joined Fleet as a boy.

And of course it had been less than a year since Aisha watched her family killed in front of her eyes.

Now that Aisha was no longer in combat but had time to think, the nightmares started to come to her with a horrible intensity. Most nights Aisha would wake up covered in sweat screaming.

Even so the Kzin female Jigs never growled at her. Every time it happened one of the off watch Kzin female Jigs would hold her in their powerful paws with their two inch claws carefully retracted and purr softly in her ear until the trembling stopped and she once again had control of her fears.

While acting as a combat messenger for the lost Massood battalion on a daily basis Aisha was surrounded by blood, guts and duty so never had the time to think more than a few hours ahead. But now on the Weave star cruiser she had time to think of the future and it scared her.

Ever since the Crows had appeared in the valley and rescued her and the Massood Commander from certain death Aisha knew what she wanted for her future. What really scared her was she might not ever get the chance to fulfill her dream but would just be assigned to an orphanage and stuck on a planet forever.

So with the future scaring her to death Aisha like any Spacer reported for duty for a regular working watch filled with learning useful things and being treated like a grown up.

Aisha was helping Chief Abe do repairs to the Star Cruisers huge photon cannon. Like most Star Cruiser engineers Chief Abe was not going to be satisfied just replacing a malfunctioning part: He always wanted to redesign it so everything worked better.

After doing what turned out to be a complete overhaul the unlikely pair walked together to the galley to get some juice before turning in. Once they were sitting down and watching the stars streak by at faster than light speed Aisha brought up the subject of her future to the one that would know in his soul exactly how badly she wanted it.

"After all the dangers you have been through are you are sure you want to be Fleet and maybe even one of the Crows?"

"Well, yea after all I am still alive."

Chief Abe looked at the skinny Massood girl and saw what was really sitting there drinking juice and it was a battle hardened fighting waif that was only scared of one thing. She might not get the chance.

In a second Chief Abe decided on exactly what needed to be done. "Ok, don't worry, Aisha, you are not going to lost or forgotten in the system somewhere. You're with me and I'm Fleet and its all going to be fine."

Then Chief Abe who became her best friend told her all about Fleet.

Fleet, Aisha learned was his personal history and a dream he lived with his eyes open. He had been Fleet all his life; Spacer to the core.

Chief Abe had enlisted as a boy then just qualified as Able Bodied Spacer had worked his way up rating by rating, sometimes slipping back when a good brawl intruded on common sense but mostly rising steadily through the ranks as a good Spacer could.

Chief Abe was clever but without the intellect that would have won him a place at the Academy; strong but not brutal with it; brave but without the irrational brashness of youth. Without Fleet he would most likely have been in prison so Chief Abe had clenched himself around the virtue of Fleet as a drowning man might cling to a log in the raging river of life.

When Aisha asked him about the Crows she got the answer of anyone in Fleet that knew of the famed Weave squadron lead by the Kryptonian Captain Clark Kent.

"They are tough as tough as any but unlike most not cruel with it. If you are in trouble they will help you but if you are Fleet and in trouble the Crows never forget. Never. They may be busy saving someone else. They may come late but they come. And if it's later then never mind because they will take revenge for you. If you are Fleet, your name is on the rolls then the Crows will never forget. It will be in their memory forever."

"You got the brains," Chief Abe told her to make the Academy list and be a Fleet officer. "And more than the brains, the way you escaped the Clove and fought with the lost Massood battalion shows you got the guts."

"But how?" Aisha wanted nothing more than to join Fleet and fight the Clove but it required a recommendation from Fleet representatives. How could an orphan from a plundered planet convince someone to recommender her?

Then the lonely Chief Abe tossed her, and through her, himself, a life line the same way years earlier Clark Kent had tossed one on a planet called Smallville to a crippled Marine Sniper Scout named Whitney Fordman.

"Since your only fourteen first there is Fleet prep school. I'll formally adopt you, then you are eligible as the daughter of a Fleet veteran and no it doesn't matter that I'm not an officer. Fleet's Fleet."

"Adopt me?" It was like a dream that Aisha didn't want to wake up from.

"Not just me Aisha, I'm Fleet and that means Fleet is going to adopt you to."

Chief Abe looked out at the stars streaking by and outlined the plan. "I've got an apartment on Planet Sirialis just a few blocks from the Prep School and even closer to Star Fleet Academy. Three or four years in Prep School 'til you pass your exams and I don't doubt you will. Don't worry about the letters of recommendation you'll need. The crew is all impressed with you including the commander of this Star Cruiser Captain Carin Coldae and she is related to half the Fleet reps in the galaxy."

From that conversation on, the implantation of the plan went smoothly: the adoption, the entry in Prep School, the martial arts training with Chief Abe and the fresh life on new world but this time with a purpose.

Aisha felt out of place in the social life of school. After the Clove invasion of her planet Aisha never could regain the carefree camaraderie of younger years but she worked toward the goal of Star Fleet Academy with such single-minded ambition that everyone soon labeled her an Academy bound grinder.

Aisha threw herself into her school course work and on weekends trained in shooting and the martial arts to turn her growing body into a weapon. After a month on Planet Sirialis the nightmares stopped and by the time Star Fleet Academy Open Examinations came around she passed in the top five percent to Chief Abe's endless delight.

His scared face creased into a grin as he took her to buy the required gear. "I knew you could do it Aisha. I knew it all along. You remember what I told you back on the Star Cruiser and in a few years I will be cheering when you graduate."

At Star Fleet Academy Aisha had only one ambition and that was the quiet earnest determination to do whatever it was better than anyone.

One thing did surprise her; she was the only Massood in the Academy and at first she thought she would be an outsider forever due to the lingering effects of the Massood's ill fated treaty with the Clove.

In the beginning this had been a problem but then some of the senior cadets over heard the Academy instructors mention that the Massood girl had fought in the battle of the Valley of Tamarrion and been rescued personally by Captain Clark Kent and the Crows.

Instantly Aisha became the center of attention and an Academy celebrity. Every Cadet at the Academy dreamed of joining the Crows and wanted the in depth story of Aisha's personal encounter with the legendary Kryptonian warrior.

Aisha simply told then the story as plain as she could explaining the tactical elements, geography, weapons, how fast and silent the Crow ground forces were and how Captain Clark Kent with the first concern for the troops asked her if she was wounded.

Aisha conveniently left out how she instantly fell desperately in love with Captain Clark Kent.

She didn't want to get teased but it was only later that she realized that it didn't matter since half the Academy was already in love or at least totally infatuated with Captain Clark Kent even though they had only ever seen holograms of him on the news.

Then it came: Graduation! Aisha scored so high on all the exam posting that she won the best assignment: A Star Fleet Cruiser.

Everyone wanted to start on a cruiser, not some tin pot escort vessel or supply ship. Starting on a Star Fleet Cruiser mean being, in however a junior way, real Fleet. Star Cruisers were where the action was, real action.

Chief Abe, like he always said he would, cheered at her graduation. He then took her out to dinner in the best place in town. Aisha said she enjoyed the meal but wanted to do something else.

Chief Abe raised an eyebrow asking what? Aisha cocked her eyebrow back at Chief Abe in a move she copied off of him and had been practicing in the mirror.

For his surprise Aisha took Chief Abe across town to one of his favorite bars. She knew why he liked it. It was where senior Fleet NCOs hung out; all Chief Abe's friends.

She was still dressed in her graduation uniform; all white and gold. Chief Abe had adopted her and became her ward but more that that he had made her a Fleet Officer. Now she would be able to avenge her family and planet.

There was no better graduation present for Chief Abe than to let him, while she was still in her Star Fleet Academy graduation uniform, show her off to all his friends in his favorite bar over a few pints.

There standing in the bar surrounded by all of Chief Abe's friends congratulating her Aisha wanted to be three people: One here with Chief Abe, One out celebrating with all her Academy classmates and one already sneaking onto the Star Cruiser to find out all about it.

One thing for sure, tomorrow she was going back to war.

…………To be continued as Part 44: Aisha Joins her Star Cruiser or Oh My God: That Hologram on the News doesn't do Justice to Him in the Flesh!


	47. A Call To Arms Part 44

Part 44: Aisha Joins her Star Cruiser or Oh My God: That Hologram on the News doesn't do Justice to Him in the Flesh! f 6

It was not yet close enough to autumn to moderate the brutally hot summer of Planet Tanegli. It had been a dry year on a dry planet and the steady winds off the salty sea drove the fine reddish dust high into the atmosphere to turn the sky a dirty rusty brown.

The whole of Planet Tanegli was a training center for Fleet crew with firing ranges, research weapon centers and ship space docks for refit. It also was a major transport point for new crew according to their duty orders to join their designated outward bound space ship.

Aisha walked down the dusty road that lead to the rather varied night life of the main base on Planet Tanegli. She had earned an evening's liberty by coming first in her class yet again at the small arms phaser firing range. It was her last course before taking up a two year assignment on the Fleet Star Cruiser S.S.S.(Special Space Service) Vigilance tomorrow morning.

With the rusty red dust blowing in her face Aisha thought with Murphy's Law in full force it was only fitting that her free hours came at a time when no rational person could enjoy them. She would have rather been in her quarters studying cube manuals of the Star Cruiser but her training CO had told her to get off the base so her other class mates could see what a reward there was in coming first. Aisha signed; well orders were orders.

Ahead Aisha spotted a door opening and two hard looking space marines came out. It was when the gush of cooler air brushed her side facing the now closing door that she decided to turn into it.

It was lively but not overwhelming and smelled of food as much as drink which is always a good sign for an attractive girl in a bar by herself. Aisha turned down and walked past the bar and slipped into one of the open booths. After she slid in she started to look around.

The tables and chairs looked a little strange. Then after a few more seconds the whole bar started to look strange. Then Aisha realized the bar furniture was designed to look like star ship parts. No that wasn't right, it was then Aisha realized they were real star ship parts.

The long dark bar was obviously hull material; most likely ship battle armor. And on the walls there were pieces of metal debris just hanging. After a second look Aisha realized they were not random pieces of metal garbage but actual pieces of space ships.

Every where she looked Aisha now saw the battle honors hanging on the walls, models of Star Battle cruisers over the bar, flat holograms of long dead crew.

The bar was a shrine and Aisha felt strangely comforted and made a Massood arm gesture to honor the dead.

"Do you need help?" someone asked. Aisha looked up to find herself face to face with a man in a float chair. It flashed through her mind that he must be from either a very particular primate species or suffers from some genetic disorder that kept the Hivistahm doctors from regenerating his legs.

"No, sir – I was honoring the dead," she said.

His eyebrows rose, crinkling the skin around his scars. "You knew about this place?"

"No, sir … but it's obvious."

"Humm, may I have the honor of your name?"

"Ensign Aisha," she told him. , "From Planet Sirialis." Then when he gave her a knowing look she added, "originally from the Planet of the Massood."

"Ah. Massood. You are the first Massood we have ever had in here and the first Massood I have ever seen in a Star Fleet uniform." He adjusted his float chair, "And you were at the Star Fleet Academy on Planet Sirialis when …"

"No sir, I was home … on the planet of the Massood I mean." Aisha knew that to Fleet spacers, Fleet was home and the planet of origin was just that … the planet of origin."

The man on the float-chair gave a slight shake of his head. "So you survived the Clove invasion … your family as well?"

"No, my Massood family is gone."

"I'm sorry to bring up bad memories but don't forget Ensign, that uniform you are wearing gives you a new family."

"I know that sir; and it helps"

He gave her an accepting smile. "You're welcome her anytime, Ensign. You've earned it."

But in Aisha's eyes she hadn't earned anything yet. The way she saw it everything she had she owed to Chief Abe, her dead family, the Massood commander and the Crows rescue. Still she was not going to contradict someone like this, a Fleet combat veteran.

"Thank you," she said instead. Then carefully in case she read the signals wrong she asked, "May I offer you a drink."

"Actually Ensign as this is your first time in my bar I hope you would accept one from me."

Aisha dipped her head, "Thank you."

She ordered a dark ale that was heavily spiced. When it arrived the glass was frosted and it came with a bowl of raw marinated vegetable sticks on a bed of shaved ice."

"Since you like spiced ales I thought you might like these." Aisha nibbled on one after tasting her ale.

The man in the float chair sipped his drink while watching her over the rim. It was a little disconcerting."

Finally he said, "Being from the planet of the Massood, you might be interested to know we had some of the Crows in here yesterday; including Captain Clark Kent."

Aisha couldn't help flinching slightly, "All Massood owe him a lot … I met him briefly years ago on the Massood planet in the Valley of Tamarrion."

For a second the man in the float chair looked surprised and then a moment later composed. "I've heard of the valley of Tamarrion; heard of that battle," he paused for a second and continued, "You remind me of him, Ensign. He's quiet too."

"He is a real hero," Aisha said, "I'm just a green Ensign."

"I have the feeling you just might surprise yourself," the Fleet veteran turned bar owner then said, "Good luck on your first tour."

Aisha smiled her thanks as the man in the float-chair slipped away.

Tomorrow she was going to report to duty on a Star Cruiser and half of her was scared to death and the other half couldn't wait.

Next Morning:

Aisha walked into passenger bay that acted as the gangway for the huge Weave Star Cruiser. On the side in large black letters was the Star Cruisers name S.S.S Vigilance. The same name that appeared on her orders and the S.S.S. stood for Special Space Service.

At the end of the gangway stood a smart looking Kzin corporal standing guard. He checked her ID and orders before moving aside so she could step across the red stripes that signaled where the ship formally began. She saluted the ships colors that were painted on the opposite bulkhead and stepped into her new life.

Her welcome aboard introduction meeting with the Star Cruisers Captain had gone reasonably well although she had been so nervous when she returned his initial greetings her voice turned into a little girl squeak.

Ensign Aisha left the Captain's ready room with her duty assignment orders in hand. She then picked pick up her gear she had left leaning against the bulkhead outside the Captain's ready room and headed down the corridor looking for the turbo lift.

Aisha still felt like an actor trying to play a part way past her talent in a new play set on a Weave Star Cruiser. As she walked down the corridor the ships crew moved all around her and every one of them appeared to know exactly what they were doing as they scurried about. All they made Aisha feel was more and more like the very green Ensign that she really was.

Aisha so afraid that everyone could see through her shinny insignia and new uniform to the fear. She finally found the turbo lift and as she walked up to it to her horror she stumbled and dropped her duffel bag right at the feet of two Crow officers and the contents spilled across the deck.

Aisha looked up; and then up some more. Her heart fell through the deck when she locked eyes with the two Star Fleet living legends standing there is large as life. They may not have been wearing battle armor carrying burp guns but they stood there right in front of her the same way they had years before when they appeared like ghost killers out of the tall grass in the valley of Tamarrion when they rescued the lost Massood battalion from the Clove ambush.

At Star Fleet Academy everyone had heard all the stories and rumors but Aisha never expected to see either of the Crow warriors again in the flesh. At the Star Fleet Academy when the other cadets heard that she had been saved by the Crows during the liberation of the Massood planet they badgered her into telling everyone the story of the Crows heroics over and over.

Of course all the cadets had heard background stories about the two famed Crow warriors. The rumor was that Major Whitney Fordman was from some undiscovered planet called Smallville that wasn't on any star charts. Even though Major Whitney looked Kryptionian he was something called Human and the only one of his species in Fleet.

No one knew why Major Whitney Fordman decided to fight the Clove when his planet was never under threat. However everyone did know that Whitney Fordman had appeared out of nowhere years ago with Captain Clark Kent and the Kzin Warrior Chuut Ritt and then joined the Weave.

Since joining the Crows Major Whitney Fordman had been involved in almost continuous battle campaigns that had liberated dozens of plants. Everyone also knew he was one of the best on both the ground and in an attack fighter.

Beside Major Whitney Fordman there stood the one and only Captain Clark Kent who everyone knew was one of the few remaining powerful sons of Krypton.

The story told at the Star Fleet Academy was that Captain Clark Kent was born on the planet of Krypton but then as a baby was shot into Space by his birth parents in a small space ship to save him just before Krypton's destruction.

It was commonly believed that since Clark Kent had never emotionally bonded with the Krypton planet he wasn't emotionally scared by its destruction. The truth was not well known but later Aisha would find out that Clark Kent was emotionally scarred but just not from Krypton's destruction.

To add even more mystery to the story of Captain Clark Kent's escape it was rumored that Clark Kent had been raised on the same unknown planet as Whitney Fordman called Smallville by the strange native species known as human.

No one knew if the story was really true but if it was of course it would explain the close bond between the Kryptonian warrior and the only example of the human species serving in all Star Fleet: The biologically unique Major Whitney Fordman.

The story could have been just myth but what was not a myth as everyone knew was the strong friendship that Captain Clark Kent and Major Whitney Fordman shared. The fact that the two of them were the only ones in Fleet that actually knew what their squadron mascot "a Crow" was just added to the mystery. It was also whispered that Clark Kent and Whitney Fordman were the only two that could read the strange language in which was written the "Go Crows" motto.

But at the moment Aisha was thinking of nothing but how today; on her first day; she was lying on the deck looking up in horror at the two Crow warriors.

Whitney lifted his blue eyes off Asiha and turned to Clark "They get younger every year," He then looked back at her and with a smile added, "Also prettier."

Whitney bent down offering Aisha a helping hand and easily lifted her up to her feet. At the same time faster than she would every have thought possible Captain Clark Kent had picked up her scattered data cubes and duffle bag. He looked at her duty assignment and said, "Ahh your first assigned duty is in scan technology. You will learn a lot from our friends the Kzin twins Suli and Sim up in scan. They are the two best scan techs in Fleet."

Aisha just stared at Commander Clark's smile and just like so long ago trapped in the valley of Tamarrion on the Massood planet she again fell head over heels in love.

Then Major Whitney Fordman stepped back to let Aisha enter the turbo lift first. "Also if you play Wall Ball make sure you tell the twins Suli and Sim. They are always looking for a third for their team especially when they play Clark, Puss'n'Boots and me but you better be ready to play variable G wall ball with an edge to it," He added with a laugh.

They didn't follow her into the turbo lift. Aisha suddenly realized they had not been waiting for the lift but had been just passing by. She allowed herself a little feeling of relief and thanked the gods that neither of them recognized her.

Then with both of them smiling at her while Aisha beamed back to the two of them a stunned look, Captain Clark Kent leaned forward and said, "Welcome aboard rabbit's foot," just as the turbo lift doors closed on Aisha's horrified face.

A moment later the turbo lift made a whirling sound and she was gone, Then Whitney turned to Clark and questioned him. "Rabbit's foot? What was that about? Don't tell me Captain Clark Kent is starting to flirt with the new Ensigns?"

Clark just smirked at Whitney, "You are losing your eye Quarterback for cute girls with fly away hair. Don't you remember that battle in the valley of Tamarrion on the Planet of the Massood several years ago? That was the orphan girl who was going to fight us all off to save her commander."

Whitney's eyebrows went up in realization as Clark continued. "Thanks for making me do the right thing by her Quarterback. Now she is a fleet officer and on her way to avenging her family."

Clark gave a low whistle, "I still remember her in that badly fitting scorched battle armor with one ear burned off still ready to fight. She is as tough as nails."

Whitney knowingly said, "Well maybe not completely tough Farmboy. I think she has a few soft spots and a son a Krypton might be one of them."

Clark gave Whitney a sideways knowing glance, "Don't start Whitney; it's only been a few weeks since Natzlin left the ship. My bed is still warm and with her departure my heart is more than a little bruised."

"It's a war zone Clark; danger is the ultimate aphrodisiac. When old lovers are transferred it's time to move on. Or move on at least as far as your super emotions allow you."

"Wish I could Quarterback; Anyway for tomorrow the Captain asked us to interview the Ensign newcomers and welcome them to Fleet and you, not me, are going to be the one doing the honors with shinny new Massood Ensign."

Then Clark kind of smiled and said half to him self. "No matter how trim she looks in uniform and with that fly away hair."

The Next Morning, New Ensign Interviews:

Clark quickly looked over the file of his first interview. The new Ensign Claas sat in front of him in the specially designed chair Clark had made sure was available when he found out his first interview was a heavy worlder girl whose home planet was a massive high gravity planet in the alpha quadrant of the galaxy. She was easily the size of a Japanese sumo wrestling champion but five times as strong.

Ensign Claas was one of the largest heavy worlder women Clark had ever seen and came with a special message from one of his old lovers from an earlier battle campaign now teaching at Star Fleet Academy. (I can trust you Clark," she had written, "to perceive the sensitivity and generosity of this ensign. She's bright of course and reasonably aggressive but sensitive around what she calls non-heavy worlders: "Light weights". Don't let her appearance deceive you. She is very vulnerable and still too easily emotionally hurt. Toughen her up but don't bruise her emotions.")

Clark looked across the desk at the huge girl with the soulful eyes hiding under the massive brow and cheekbones the size of should blades and mentally shook his head. If this heavy world girl was still oversensitive after four years in the Academy there was little chance he had of curing it. He just hoped she wouldn't come apart emotionally during her first taste of combat.

His next interview, Timram who was stocky and bright eyed and although he had a low academic rank in the graduating class he also had an air of suppressed glee. Clearly he was trilled, (surprised even?) to have such a good assignment on a Star Cruiser. Timran almost sparkled as he bounded from side to side chomping at the bit to get into combat.

Then came Ensign Goran, who was a quiet studious prim and proper colony born young man who ranked high in academics and sports but only average in initiative. The file said, "Meticulous, precise, will follow orders to the letter but does not react well in chaotic situations. Not due to a lack of courage; he does not panic in danger but does not exceed his orders even when this is desirable."

The next interview took Clark's breath away. Kayli was one of the most beautiful girls Clark had even seen since he last set eyes on Lana Lang so many years ago on that fateful day of Lex's barbecue at the mansion. Kayli was a stunning glamorous blond with huge doe eyes who looked like she belonged staring as the heroine in a Japanese hentai comic epic. She easily could have had a new bed partner on the Star Cruiser every night if she'd wanted it.

However what Kayli wanted apparently was Ensign Goran. The two ensigns were already engaged and planned to marry at the end of their first tour. It did surprise Clark that Kayli had a continuing disinterest in the other men aboard ship. Very few people in a war zone were exclusive in their sexual relationships but it appeared that Kayli was exclusively devoted to Goran.

His final interview was with a small mousy looking girl named Perran who was described by her academy instructions as an electronics wiz. Of course they left out what her social hobby was and as usual Clark discovered once again that when it comes to girls, appearances can be deceiving.

Clark had seen some major players in the sex game over the years in each group of new Ensigns that joined the Star Cruiser. He thought back to bronze haired Liami now a drive engineer who when she first arrived bounced in and out of beds with the same passion as she gobbled dessert treats in the galley. And then there were Cal and Deri now weapons techs who for their first tour could have starred in any of the romantic drama serial tragedies, always in one emotional crisis or another. How those two managed to complete their assignment duty their first tour was a constant topic of whispered wonder.

But before him was Perran; who would become legendary on the S.S.S. Vigilance as the vamp. Perran had an insatiable interest in electronics, photon weapons….and men.

Later the Kzin twin's description of Perran's stalk on the bridge of the ship's senior communications tech gave Clark his first relaxed laugh in weeks.

Clark met with his Ensigns at least once a week for evaluation sessions and to iron out any problems.

The heavy worlder girl Claas seemed content except when she thought crew members were dismissing her intelligence and labeling her however subtle they did it as a big dumb brute good for only heavy lifting and suchlike.

Timran got into one scrape after another and was always apologetic but undaunted as he discovered over and over the law of nature that you can't fight everyone in the galaxy all at once.

Goran and Kayli to the disappointment of half of the Star Cruiser crew occupied each other.

And Perran, the vamp to the end having caught her first man soon started looking for another. Clark's super emotions kicked in pretty hard with sympathy for the unlucky quarry; Perran was none to gentle in her disposal of the former lover and Lana Lang had taught Clark what that felt like.

As for Aisha exactly as Clark Kent predicted she liked both of the Kzin twins instantly.

The second day after Aisha joined the S.S.S. Vigilance when the Kzin twins finished their bridge watch they invited Aisha to play on their Wall Ball team against Clark, Whitney and Puss'n'Boots. There was no way she was turning down the chance to see Captain Clark Kent again and maybe even get to know him as a person.

That was the beginning of Aisha's career in Star Fleet. She became a regular member of the space gang and she loved it.

In the years that followed on a Star Cruiser fighting in a brutal war Aisha found her place in the universe. She had a cause which on good days was freedom for the galaxy and bad days bloody revenge for dead family and friends.

She became a devoted friend to the Kzin twins, Whitney and Puss'n'Boots and some years later became even more than simply a good friend to Captain Clark Kent.

In Fleet again and again Aisha met the best the galaxy had to offer in comrades in arms.

The adventures in space never ceased for any of them.

Six standard galaxy months into her tour there was the day during a martial arts work out as Aisha spared with Puss'n'Boots into the gym strolled one of greatest Weave warriors in the form of Puss'n'Boots father Chuut Ritt.

Aisha spoke Kzin very well but Chuut Ritt roared more than he actually talked so when Puss'n'Boots's father growled at them she had trouble understanding him but decided discretion was the better part of valor. So Aisha turned and started to quickly walk away but then Puss'n'Boots stopped her and said her father said he want to spar with Aisha since he knows my fighting habits too well. Besides you are the same size as some of my younger brothers and he needs the practice or they will kill him next time he visits the family den.

So that day as an Ensign Aisha actually got fighting tips and a chance to work out with the legendary Chuut Ritt.

Later in her first tour Aisha had to start practical flight training for dog fighting in space. For the first time she ran into something she was not naturally good at. Aisha was horrified to discover that she was a terrible pilot.

Whitney was a natural and never thought about but always knew what to do. Clark said it was because back on the Smallville planet Whitney had been an expert with an ancient weapon that used a chemical reaction to propel a lead slug. It made him an excellent defection shooter which in an asteroid belt in a space dog fight meant he always kept a couple steps ahead.

Clark personally took her under his wing and worked her over and over. He taught her not to just fly her attack fighter but fight with it. After all wars have always shown that the best pilots don't necessarily become aces. There is a big difference between flying a plane and fighting with a plane.

For her final test it was touch and go in the formal exercises but with Whitney, Puss'n'Boots and especially Clark tutoring her Aisha made it through to earn her wings.

Aisha at the time never knew how she did it but was just happy to have the small double wings pinned on her collar. What Aisha didn't know was that even though on the surface she was a terrible pilot she had that quality that surpassed all in combat and that included even talent: Luck.

Years later she asked Clark how she passed for his answer he showed her his assessment of her abilities as a fighter pilot he wrote in her official fleet evaluation.

"Under normal circumstances, Ensign Aisha is adequate at best, and too often careless or rash. But in emergencies, everything seems to come together, and she will do five wrong things that add up to the best combination. If she continues to show this flair in active duty she will be a great combat pilot. However it is strongly recommended that she is never assigned to transport or passenger flying duties unless you want the cargo or passengers smeared on an asteroid."

Aisha even met that legend of all the legends: Clark's Uncle Thor-el the son of Krypton that had been fighting the Clove longer that any others serving in the Weave.

Thor-el came aboard after a rendezvous with the S.S.S. Vigilance in a yellow star solar system that was not inhabited by sentient life.

Then the entire of crew of the S.S.S. Vigilance were treated to the ultimate gladiator match. Well not a gladiator match to the death but the next best thing; a full contact gladiator sparing practice. With full and complete super powers at their command Thor-el and Clark left the ship and went into outer space. They then had a martial arts workout that involved warming up by throwing asteroids at each other.

The Star Cruiser S.S.S. Vigilance after doing long range scans to ensure the yellow star solar system was clear of any Clove took all their weapons off line to divert all available power to their defensive shields. The Star Cruiser needed the added protection because when two sons of Krypton spar that old saying from Planet Smallville kicks in: "When elephants fight, ants get stepped on."

Thor-el and Clark spared for hours and in their workout destroyed a few small planets along with several moons of a large gas giant planet that dominated this particular yellow star solar system. Decades in the future Clark was thankful for these rare chances to spar with his Uncle Thor-el who was even more powerful than himself. It was lessons learned from Thor-el in these sparing sessions that gave Clark the edge he needed all those years in the future when he would save Earth by defeating a being stronger than even Superman: Doomsday.

It was after the two sons of Krypton had their sparing match in outer space that Aisha discovered the secret of Captain Clark Kent. He was like the other survivors of Krypton. He was under constant threat from depression attacks due to Krypton super emotions. However the cause of the attacks wasn't due to the destruction of the planet Krypton but because of having his heart broken by a lost love from the unknown planet called Smallville.

Thor-el and Clark should have been more careful but their mistake was made. Thor-el had been recently to Planet Smallville for a visit due to an on going relationship with a woman of the same species as Major Whitney Fordman. This women was related to the women that was the cause of Clark Kent's depression. All it took to bring on Clark's depression attack was a short conversation with Thor-el about recent events on Planet Smallville when part of the discussion involved a human woman called Lana Lang.

With in moments of the depression attack happening Captain Clark Kent was in immediate danger. To save them both Thor-el left the ship within a few minutes of the depression attack hitting Clark.

Super emotions made other Kryptonians more dangerous than useless in helping a single Kryptonian suffering from a depression attack. In fact instead of being just useless the presence of other Kryptonians with super emotions increased the severity of the depression attack.

Thus Thor-el quickly left the S.S.S Vigilance before Clark fed off the presence of Thor-el's additional super emotions to drive himself even further into the black well of depression. The other reason Thor-el left was depression among Kryptonians was extremely contagious. The Weave couldn't risk losing two of the greatest warriors to a depression attack brought on by a simple conversation about a recent visit one of them made to an insignificant planet called Smallville.

There was nothing medical other than a few weak drugs the concerned Hivistahm doctors could do to control or even temper the depression attack brought on by Clark's super emotions. Captain Clark Kent had helped liberate their planet from the Clove and the gentle empathetic Hivistahm doctors being unable to help him were as highly agitated as they ever got in life. All they could do is pace back and forth in sick-bay clicking their teeth and swishing their long tails back and forth in frustration.

Aisha was told by Puss'n'Boots that the humans on Planet Smallville that had adopted Clark Kent never knew about his super emotions so didn't know to isolate him at age five for two years from members of the opposite sex. Unknowingly they had exposed him many times but it was a human girl the same age as him named Lana Lang who he had on first sight fallen instantly and completely in love.

As a child growing up the damage done by exposure to Lana Lang had not been evident to Clark's human adoptive parents. Kryptonian super emotions don't come into full force until the late teens until all the other super powers including the last one, flying develop in full. Until then the damage looks to someone without super emotions as nothing more than a simple teenage crush; although a bit more out of control as standard teenage crushes go.

So the tragedy was set in place with nothing that could be done other than to watch it play itself out. The human girl Lana Lang rejected Clark Kent choosing another human as a mate and thus left Clark exposed to his unique emotional weakness of being killed by his broken heart.

Aisha knew that it might not be because of the destruction of the planet of Krypton but in his own way Captain Clark Kent was as vulnerable to the terminal illness affecting all the Kryptonians due to their super emotions as any of the other survivors.

Puss'n'Boots had one positive thing to tell Aisha. That was that Captain Clark Kent did have one advantage over the other Kryptonians when it came to fighting the depression attacks and the advantage was Major Whitney Fordman.

Whitney Fordman had been in love with the same human female Lana Lang and like Clark had been rejected by her. Somehow this common history with Lana Lang in Clark's depressed mind gave the two of them an emotional and spiritual connection.

Because Whitney didn't have super emotions for Clark's depression to feed off and due to their common history Whitney was the only one that could help a son of Krypton in a full fledged depression attack.

When the attack hit Whitney would go into isolation with Clark and over several days slowly and carefully pull Clark back from the depths of depression. Whitney going into isolation with Clark to pull him back from the edge was never taken lightly. It took courage since Clark was extremely dangerous due to his super powers combined with the son of Krypton not thinking clearly due to effects of the super anguish and depression.

However Whitney never forget how years before Clark Kent in the back yard of Betty Fordman's home in Smallville had tossed a crippled Marine sniper scout a life line so he never hesitated to step into Clark's isolation chamber while the S.S.S. Vigilance engineering crew welded the door shut behind him; only to be cut open later if he was successful in getting Clark back alive and with his sanity intact.

As he had done before this time in the isolation chamber Whitney reached into the dark pool and grabbed the real Clark Kent to slowly but steadily over the days drag him to the surface. This depression attack was a bad one but Whitney Fordman helped chase away the darkness to bring Clark back to the light to once again fight another day.

Aisha and the Kzin twins felt that watching Clark suffer these super depression attacks over some Smallville woman was more than any of them could bear. They discussed endless plans where they would find the co-ordinates for the uncharted planet Smallville. Then "borrow" a space speeder and fly off across the galaxy to Planet Smallville. Then the plan was simple, find this Lana Lang that had broken the hearts of both Clark and Whitney; the heroes of the galaxy and put her head on a stick. The main arguing point of their plan was which of them got the honor of killing Lana Lang.

After surviving this depression attack, the S.S.S. Vigilance engineering crew cut them out of the isolation chamber. Clark was immediately taken to sick-bay due to the Hivistahm doctors insisting he needed to be put under observation for a few days before being released for active service.

Whitney was exhausted but fine. He was with Puss'n'Boots relaxing on the galley observation deck with a cappuccino when Aisha and the Kzin twins found them. After reassuring Aisha and the Kzin twins that Clark was going to be ok Whitney noticed that there was still something else troubling the threesome.

"Ok spill girls; what's this all about?"

Aisha looked out through the clear force field at the stars streaking by while the Kzin twins Suli and Sim looked at each other before Suli turned back to Whitney and said, "It's too much; this attack didn't just take Captain Clark to the edge but past it. If you weren't here Whitney this would have been the last one."

Whitney sighed but didn't know what to say since they were right. "I know it was close girls but the fact is I was here and Clark is going to be fine. All we can do is hope the next time it all turns out the same."

Sim growled, "What if there isn't a next time?"

"Whitney's eye's narrowed, something was wrong and he couldn't just yet put his finger on it. "What do you mean by that? Clark's super emotions are here to stay. There is nothing that can be done about it?"

Aisha now joined in, "What if there is something that can be done about it. Puss'n'Boots told us a human woman from your home planet Smallville named Lana Lang is responsible. Why don't we do something to remove her hold on Clark?"

Whitney remembered this same conversation years ago with Puss'n'Boots and just laughed. "Girls, I understand your concern but that is just not going to happen. There is no answer to the problem of Clark loving Lana Lang. I mean I don't have the answer because I also loved Lana Lang and she is a hard girl to get out of your system when you are human. For a son of Krypton it just isn't going to happen, so forget it. All we can do is try our best to help Clark get through these depression attacks."

Now Aisha's eyes narrowed, "What if we take care of the problem. Just the three of us. All we need from you is the navigational coordinates for this planet Smallville."

He might have been exhausted but Whitney caught on in a second; while Puss'n'Boots was even faster.

Puss'n'Boots immediately said, "No Aisha and also no to you two Suli and Sim. Do you think that I haven't thought of doing years ago exactly what you three are thinking? I once was at Clark's home on Planet Smallville talking with Clark's human brother Ryan when your target Lana Lang just appeared out of no where. I had to leave her alone and run away. I have never forgotten the humiliation of running from such a weakling but I had no choice. Planet Smallville has never made interstellar contract so I was under orders from my father and Clark to avoid contact with all humans outside Clark's human family."

Puss'n'Boots gave an involuntary low growl and her two inch retractable claws appeared and extended as her paws twitched in a clawing motion. "Later when I found out who Lana Lang was and what she did to Clark and Whitney I was so mad I missed the chance to tear her apart when she was standing there right in front of me."

Puss'n'Boots tried to bring the tension in her fighting muscles under conscious control. "But it is lucky for all that I followed orders. If I would have killed Lana Lang then Captain Clark Kent would have blamed himself for her death. The shock and guilt of Lana Lang being dead would have killed him where with these depression attacks he has a fighting chance to survive."

There was a pause and Whitney took over, "And besides Clark; I wouldn't be very happy if you killed Lana but at least it wouldn't kill me. The fact is girls that Lana Lang is not responsible for Clark's condition. She is the cause of it, I grant you that but the situation is due more to circumstance than anyone's guilt."

Suli started to protest that Lana Lang hurt Whitney to but Whitney silenced her with a wave of his hand. "Enough girls, for me that book was closed years ago. So forget it."

Whitney then leaned forward to emphasize his point, "Now hear this and hear this good. If anything happens to Lana Lang it will kill Clark Kent. So forget this dream of revenge and concentrate instead on helping Clark and of course fighting the Clove."

It was a reluctant trio that had to accept that their dream of revenge was not going to happen but unlike the philosophical Whitney it didn't mean that any of the trio had forgiven Lana Lang.

As they walked away Aisha touched Sim and Suli and together the trio turned around and Whitney and Puss'n'Boots looked up at them.

Aisha spoke for the three of them, "Ok, we won't do anything now but if Captain Clark Kent dies with or without your help I will find out the navigational coordinates for Planet Smallville and the human women Lana Lang that is responsible for breaking Clark Kent's heart will die. He saved my planet and my species, driving off those that killed my family, friends and destroyed my world. The only promise that I give you is I will give her a quick death. And that is more than she deserves."

Whitney started to get up but Puss'n'Boots stopped him. She then said to Aisha and the Kzin twins, "If he dies revenge won't bring him back Aisha. And revenge won't make the feelings of hurt and loss go away. I think you know that from losing your family."

Puss'n'Boots sighed, "It won't help Aisha because no one can help who they fall in love with or don't fall in love with. I think you know that to."

Aisha dropped her eyes. She was busted. She had tried to hide it but they all knew she was in love with Clark Kent. Puss'n'Boots was right. She couldn't stop loving Clark Kent any more than he could stop loving Lana Lang. The difference was that a broken heart would hurt her but the same could kill Clark Kent.

Aisha just nodded at Whitney and Puss'n'Boots and then with the Kzin twins left the galley.

Whitney released a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. "Christ on a cracker; can you believe those three? Ready to hijack a space speeder and take off across the galaxy on a quest for bloody revenge to an unknown planet. It's like the plot of a bad Kung Fu Movie."

Puss'n'Boots gave Whitney a confused look, "You know Whitney even after all these years there are times I just don't understand a word you are saying. What is a "Kung Fu Movie"? I don't even think those are Kzin words."

Whitney sighed in answer as Puss'n'Boots continued, "Don't be too hard on them. They are young and emotional. Besides it's not like I haven't had the same dream of revenge on Lana Lang. There are still many days when I close my eyes I see Lana Lang standing in front of me in the Kent's loft shining that light in my face. Only instead of running in my dream I rip Lana Lang's belly open and watch her guts fall on the floor. It's just a little payback for what she put both Clark and you through."

Whitney rolled his eyes, "You know; I have no response to that revenge confession. Let's just finish up and let me hit my bunk. After that super depression deprogramming session I feel like I could sleep for a week."

Puss'n'Boots just purred at him in answer.

Whitney never told Clark about the conversation he had in the galley with Aisha, the Kzin twins and Puss'n'Boots. Much to Whitney's relief the Kzin twins and the Massood girl never mentioned again their plan to find Planet Smallville and take revenge on Lana Lang.

When he thought about it looking out of the stars Whitney wondered what Lana Lang would say if she knew there was a group of intelligent, honor bound but also emotional space aliens were planning to travel millions of light years to kill her if Clark died due to her choice of some rich asshole from Metropolis over the hero of the galaxy.

Whitney just marveled at the show the universe kept putting on for him.

……..Meanwhile 15 million light years away on Lex's balcony Lana is having an epiphany attack while Lex and Chloe are wondering what about the Daily Planet Building is freaking her out.

To be continued Part 45: Alien Revelations from Allah or Idiots: It's Called the Daily Plant; not the Daily Earth!

PS Will do my best to update soon but with the Iraqi elections closing in no promises. Cheers SandSniper


	48. A Call To Arms Part 45a

Five days to Iraqi elections! This is the first half of this chapter and towards the end it kind of deteriorates into regiment speak which makes locker room talk sound pretty tame. Bit of swearing; off color descriptions, metaphors, the recreational sex imagery might be kind of graphic for the faint of heart.

You've been warned so only read at your own risk.

The setting is on Lex's balcony in Metropolis across from the Daily Planet building where Lana, Chloe and Lex are having a secret busting brainstorm session.

First, a recap of Lana's Epiphany and then the new chapter begins:

It was quite a view but not the view of the night sky that Lana wanted to be looking at. Lana would have given anything to be back enjoying one of those delightful nights in Smallville up in the loft with Clark at her side as they both look up at the stars decorating the Kansas sky.

Lana looked across the street and then dropped her eyes down since the Lex Corp Building was so tall compared to the old 1940s classic sky scraper of its day that was the Daily Planet building.

The huge model of a planet with its trademark rings around it looked like it was from a 1930s Flash Gordon serial. The planet turned endlessly letting every corner of Metropolis know that this wasn't any ordinary building but the home of the best newspaper in the world: The Daily Planet.

As the huge The Daily Planet model kept turning over and over as Lana sipped her hot chocolate. She never had really thought about it before but for no apparent reason a question just appeared in her mind.

"Chloe, I know Saturn has rings but didn't that flyby of voyager also reveal that Uranus has rings?"

Chloe didn't even look up from her laptop, "I just know about Saturn's rings Lana. After all I am a political and crime reporter not science and technology."

Lex as usual filled in the blanks with his classical education. "That's right Lana, Astronomers have known for decades that Saturn has rings but Uranus is so far out until the voyager probe flyby no one knew about its rings."

Lana took another sip and smiled as the rich aroma of the finest Belgium chocolate played with her pallet. "So it would be safe to assume that since the Daily Planet paper is over seventy years old that the ever turning planet at the top of the Daily Planet building represents Saturn and not Uranus?"

Lex shrugged his shoulders, "That would make sense since the Daily Planet started in the late 20s and back then they didn't know that Uranus had rings."

Lana after a few seconds asked, "Ok this is not a science question so tell me Chloe if the planet is supposed to be Saturn why did they call the paper the Daily Planet and not the Daily Saturn?"

Chloe's Buzan mind map software was acting up and she was getting frustrated. "How do you expect me to know Lana? The Daily Planet started as a gritty street level paper specializing in exposing city hall corruption and organized crime not a science magazine. So I guess for the name they didn't want to tie themselves down to just a known planet in our solar system but to keep it more general; you know any planet in the universe."

"Oh, thanks." said Lana.

A second later a shooting star streaked across the Metropolis sky. Lana remembered back to Smallville and another shooting star she watched as a high school girl in the loft with Clark.

A moment later from the dark recesses of her memory Lana heard her inner voice comment on the shooting star, "Clark, look think it's a spaceship?"

Then for no reason at all a warm feeling appeared in her gut and nudged a memory to the surface.

What was that? Rewind a little and hit play……

Lana heard Clark's voice from the past whisper in her ear, "I mean, how would you feel about him if he actually was from another planet?"

Then a moment later a little stronger Lana heard Clark say, "You'd never feel completely comfortable with him, would you."

The Lana from the past answered: "I have to admit, I'd be a little freaked out……..does that make me a bad person?"

The teenage hero of Smallville told her the truth: "No, just honest."

Lana felt chills and her knees started to tremble.

Once again an invisible Clark whispered in Lana's ear, "You'd never feel completely comfortable with him, would you."

Right in front of Lana at the top of the 1940s sky scraper the huge Daily Planet mocked her as it kept turning around again and again.

This time an invisible Lana whispered in Lana's ear: 'It's called the Daily Planet not the Daily Earth!'

A mug of the finest Belgium hot chocolate slipped from Lana's shaking hand and smashed on the floor of Lex's balcony.

Both Lex and Chloe looked up to see Lana Lang holding her hands cupped over her mouth while huge eyes the size of saucers and that's flying saucers stared back at them.

"Lana are you ok? What is it?"

Lana slowly turned and pointed a trembling finger at the Daily Planet building.

"Oh My God! That's it. The Daily Planet, I mean another planet!"

Part 45: Alien Revelations from Allah or Idiots: It's Called the Daily Plant; not the Daily Earth!

Lana's hand trembled like a leaf while she fought with a her arm to try to hold her finger on the turning model of Daily Planet.

Lex quickly grabbed a linen napkin and tossed it onto the floor to cover the smashed mug of hot chocolate.

Chloe didn't even look at the mess but stepped over it to look at the Metropolis skyline. She immediately targeted to where Lana was pointing. It was the Daily Planet building but it looked like it always did. What was the fuss about? Chloe looked at Lana who appeared to be doing her angry squirrel impression.

Chloe with a confused look on her face asked, "What is wrong Lana. It's just the Daily Planet building. You know girl, like where I work."

Lex brushed the mess of broken china and hot chocolate to the side of the balcony and stood up. His eyes followed Lana's pointing finger. "Yes, what is so special about the Daily Planet building? It looks the same as it always does."

Lana's arm dropped and then both her delicate hands jumped up together to cover her nose and mouth while her huge eyes just stared in disbelief at the Daily Planet.

Chloe reached over to lightly touch Lana's shoulder. "Are you ok Lana, you look like you saw a UFO?"

'What the fuck?' popped into Lana's mind as her face snapped back to face Chloe and she let out a little squeak. Then if it could be believed her eyes stretched open even wider. Lana looked back at the Daily Planet and felt her heart racing as she fought to remember how to breathe.

Chloe got both her arms on Lana's shoulders and guided her down to sit in one of Lex's exquisite Louis the fifteenth antique turned deck chairs. Lana finally remembered what her lungs were for and was now panting like a hyper active Labrador puppy.

"Lex I think you better go grab a paper bag. I think she is hyperventilating."

"Right, give me a sec."

Lex quickly slipped through the door and headed to the kitchen. He was back in a flash and handed the paper bag to Lana. She grabbed it like a hobo going after a bottle of single malt scotch.

Lana quickly wrapped it around her mouth and started to breathe in and out into the paper bag. Chloe just rubbed Lana's back while calmly repeating, "Take it easy, easy does it, just calm down." Lex caught Chloe's eye and raised both his eyebrows giving Chloe the universal 'what the hell is going on' look.

Lana fought back to the light and then suddenly felt very foolish to be breathing into a paper bag like an eight year old in a schoolyard so took it away from her mouth and dropped it on the balcony table. At the same time she looked back at the Daily Planet building. There it was; it never went away. The same as before the huge model of the Daily Planet just kept mocking her has it kept turning around again and again.

Thoughts started to jump into Lana's mind and dance around with each other, 'No way. Gotta be a mistake. Another planet? No freaking way. I have got to get it together.'

Lana looked at Chloe and Lex and she saw two looks coming at her that were a combination of worry and confusion. Lana's brain started to chant, 'Get to normal, get to normal'. Lana bit by bit started to pull it together and she finally said, "Its ok guys, I'm back under control."

Lex reached out to give her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "What happened Lana? You really scared us?"

"Ya," Chloe added, "That was a first class freak out."

Lana took a deep breath and tried to pulled reality back into focus. Shit! That didn't work. She could still hear the farm boy in plaid say, 'I mean, how would you feel about him if he actually was from another planet?'

Freak out round two started which was a controlled crash compared to the kamikaze flight of freak out number one.

"Oh my god," is all that Chloe and Lex heard from Lana.

Then Lana heard another echo in her mind of. 'You'd never feel completely comfortable with him, would you?'

Lana bent at the waist burying her face in her hands against her thighs. She shook her head saying softly. "It can't be. I am crazy to even consider it. No way, no freaking way." While Chloe and Lex just stared at her with dual astonished looks on their face.

Lana suddenly stood up and started to do her trademark tiger pace while she gestured to Chloe and Lex to sit down. How the hell was she going to tell them her answer to the mystery of Clark Kent without them wanting to lock her up in a rubber room?"

"Guys just give a minute."

Chloe with a guarded look said, "Ok, take your time." Lex just nodded in answer.

Lana took in a huge breath and let it all out while giving the Daily Planet a quick look. Lana looked back at both of them, "Guys I think I remembered the rhetorical question that Clark asked me to test how I would react to his secret."

Lex looked excited while Chloe said, "If this is how you reacted when you remembered it rather than having him spring it on you maybe it's a good thing he didn't tell you."

Lex couldn't stand it, "Forget the jokes Chloe; what the hell is it Lana?"

Lana was thinking how to tell them when she realized just how stupid her suspicions would sound if she said them out loud. In a second she made up her mind. "Not yet Lex, it's so freaking far outside the box that I don't want to say it but want to see if you two come to the same conclusion."

"Come on Lana," Chloe started but Lana cut her off. "No, first I will tell you what happened some years ago at the Kents when I found out that Whitney was alive. And I will tell you what Nell said about Clark's uncle Thor-el last weekend in Smallville."

Lana started to plead, "I just can't say it out loud yet; it's just too stupid or weird or maybe just crazy."

Chloe gave up and thought, 'Well at least Lana is going to spill how she heard about Whitney and meeting last weekend with Thor-el', so that would satisfy her curiosity for now.

Lana started telling the both of them how after seeing several of her designs in the Daily Planet style section the Korean professor Soon Ko Lee hired Lana to design her wedding dress. As soon as Soon Ko Lee found out she was originally from Smallville she told Lana about Whitney Fordman and his heroics in the valley of death helping her and the special ops rescue team escape from North Korea.

Both Lex and Chloe had a dozen questions but let Lana tell the story without interruption. Lana went on to describe how Betty Fordman broke down and confirmed that Whitney was alive but being held prisoner in North Korea.

The only person Betty Fordman had told about Whitney other than Lana was none other than Martha Kent. Both Lex and Chloe learned forward in anticipation when they heard how Martha had soothed Betty Fordman in her car out side the Talon by telling her Clark was home and she would talk to him about rescuing Whitney in North Korea.

Lana then told them about her decision to stake out the Kent farm which got a node of approval from both Chloe and Lex. Lana inwardly cringed for a second when she thought of the different reaction the stake out would get if she confessed her plan to trap Clark to Pete Ross.

Lana described how she recruited the twins in helping with the stake out and how they took turns watching the Kent farm through the B&L sporting telescope.

Lex's eyes went up and he rolled around the

helo-aircraft possibilities when Lana told how Lisa thought she saw something land in the Kent's backyard close to the pool. Then after disappearing for all those years Clark suddenly appeared on the Kent's front porch with Ryan and his parents.

Lex looked like he was losing control of bodily functions while Chloe started quivering with excitement when Lana describe how, with the twin running interference she snuck over to the Kent farm to corner Clark and Ryan in the loft.

When she got to the part of climbing the stairs to the loft with flashlight in hand while listening to Ryan and Clark talk Lana thought for a moment that Chloe and Lex were going to explode.

Then as Lana feared the whole story fell apart when she described what she saw when she flashed her light into what she thought were Clark's eyes.

"A weretiger? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Come on Lana quit kidding around. This is not funny."

Lana started to protest but Lex interrupted, "If this story is true Lana why didn't you tell us it before?"

"I promised Martha Kent I wouldn't tell anyone which of course is a promise I am now breaking." Lana felt a wave of guilt but pushed it down. "But also I didn't say anything because just look how you two are reacting now. I had enough trouble believing it myself even when the twins confirmed the weretiger thing jumped from the window of the loft into the barnyard and then ran to jump into the backyard pool area to then completely disappear. If it wasn't for the twin's collaboration as witnesses I might have convinced myself I imagined the whole thing."

Lana's eye's narrowed, "But not only the twins confirmed it but Martha Kent did also."

"What the hell?" Lex said in disbelief.

Lana continued, "That's right Martha Kent said, 'the name of the weretiger thing was Puss'n'Boots."

Chloe snorted, "Puss'n'Boots, now this is just getting silly. Are you screwing around with us for a joke Lana because we are not laughing?"

Lana shoulders dropped in exasperation. "I am not joking Chloe so just listen. Martha Kent had to come up with some kind of explanation for the weretiger thing. I asked her if it was a meteor freak and she said no it was the same as Clark."

That got their attention. Chloe and Lex stopped making faces and shut up.

"Martha Kent said to me that Clark was not a meteor freak. He is kind of like Puss'n'boots. She then went on to say, Clark is like Puss'n'Boots in that they were born the way they are and not infected by the meteor rocks. She then said don't ask her any specifics because it is not her secret to reveal."

"Holy shit," said Chloe.

"Wow, that is something Lana," injected Lex, "It's got to be the secret. It's got to be right there in that sentence. We just have to put it together."

Chloe thought for a second and then dropped any doubt and sarcasm. She instead went for more information. "I am sorry Lana for doubting you. Let's just get on the case. Now how exactly did this weretiger thing look and I mean everything; size, did it make any sounds, how it moved; everything."

Lana held up her hand, "I am a fashion designer but also an artist so just hold that thought because a picture is worth a thousand words."

Lana stepped off the balcony and over to her trendy Gucci backpack. In a moment she was back carrying a cardboard cylinder tube used for carrying blueprints, artwork, posters and such like. A few moments later Lana removed several sketches.

"These are sketches I made from memory of the weretiger." Lana quickly passed the sketches over to Lex and Chloe who looked at the pictures with astonishment.

(To see pictures of Kzin aliens so you have an idea of what Lex and Chloe were looking at do a search for SF writer larryniven and look at the Kizn gallery on his website)

After a couple minutes of silence as Chloe and Lex looked at each of the sketches Lex finally said, "These are incredible."

"Just incredible? Try unbelievable and freaking out of this world incredible," said Chloe. Lana gave her a look. "No Lana I believe you but you have to admit these are out there."

Lana looked over to the Daily Planet building and thought, 'But is it as far out there as I think it could be?'

Lana shrugged her shoulders, "Hey, I just drew exactly what I saw talking to Ryan then jump out of the loft and over the fence into the Kent's backyard. The twins saw it and Martha confirmed it afterward in conversation. It exists, it was there and it was real."

Chloe was staring at one of Lana's sketches, "It has to be a meteor freak but is it a cat mutation or a person mutated to be cat like?"

Lana rolled her eyes, 'No wonder none of them ever got anywhere with Clark's secret. Every single question had the build in answer of "meteor freak".'

"Aren't you listening to me Chloe? Martha Kent specifically said this weretiger thing was not a meteor freak but the same as Clark; born that way."

Chloe looked up at Lana, "Then what could be the possible explanation for such a creature?"

Lana was about ready to explode but instead thought, 'Think girlfriend, after all you work at the freaking Daily Planet.'

Lana didn't now what to do. They were not coming up with the explanation she did when she looked out of the Daily Planet building. Maybe she did have it totally wrong and it was just an innocent question Clark had asked her about Cyrus rather than the 'secret' question.

Then once again Clark's voice echoed in her mind with, 'I mean, how would you feel about him if he actually was from another planet?' Come on; from another planet? She was just being stupid. How could the plaid teenage hero of Smallville in a town filled with meteor freaks; out freak everyone by being from another planet?"

A furrow appeared on Lana's forehead as she thought about it. She shook her head and tried to bring her thoughts back to earth."

Lex finally gave his opinion after examining every sketch. "Big Foot?"

Lana and Chloe looked at him and Chloe said, "What do you mean Big Foot? It's a weretiger thing and not an ape looking thing."

Lex shook his head and held up Lana's sketch. "No, I mean it could be like Big Foot. Something that evolved naturally where the difference is genetic from birth and not due to mutation after birth from something like meteor rocks. Big Foot is just an example of a primate that could be sharing the planet with us."

Lana's heart jumped at the sound of Lex saying planet but then fell again as Lex continued. "Or this weretiger could be nothing more than a normal human that is suffering from hypertrichosia. A genetic disorder of which the symptom is excessive hair growth on the face and body."

Lex borrowed Chloe's computer and quickly found a site which showed photographs of people that suffered from hypertrichosia.

"This Puss'n'Boots thing could be just a genetic disorder like these people with hypertrichosia."

(To find photographs of people with hypertrichosia do a search under it and for the famous cases of "jo-jo" and "lionelthelion-facedman")

Lana shook her head, "I know that people with this genetic condition look hairy like the weretiger but how could anyone move like it. I saw it jump from the loft window and then in a few seconds it was across the barnyard and over the pool fence. Also if it was nothing more than a medical or genetic condition why wouldn't Martha Kent just say that?"

Lana looked over at Lex, "It was a good idea Lex but I don't see that as the real answer. After all even if the weretiger was a very athletic person that suffered from hypertrichosia why would Martha say Clark was the same as the weretiger? Clark is mysterious but he for sure doesn't look like he belongs in a freak show."

Lex just held his arms up in defeat, "Ok, Lana it was just an idea?"

Lex might have given up but not Chloe. "Wait a minute guys; a genetic disorder could be the weretiger but what is Clark is something else that is not a disorder?"

Lana had to ask, "What do you mean Chloe?"

"What if Clark is a genetic mutant but the disorder does not cause problems and turn him into the traditional idea of a freak? Instead it makes him more of a super man?"

Lex thought about it but it just didn't sound right. "I don't know Chloe; what kind of genetic mutations could give super strength, speed and protection from being hit by a Porsche yet still make the person look like a normal human? That sounds a bit to X-man comic book world to me."

Lex paused for a second gathering his thoughts and then added, "The one constant thing about mutations that are expressed as physical changes is they change the appearance of the person. In a glance you can see that the mutation has affected physical appearance whether it's excessive hair like hypertrichosia or something as simple and as well understood as being born a midget or dwarf. Clark is a lot of things but he looks more like a perfect human specimen than a genetic mutation."

Chloe gave up as she ran into the dead end, "Ok Lex I just thought as long as it involves Clark Kent he could have handsome farm boy genes and not ugly mutant genes."

Lex smiled, "He could Chloe but then Clark would be an male model and not a super strong, fast, invincible teenage hero of Smallville that looks like a male model rather that the Incredible Hunk wearing plaid."

Lana by this time had almost talked herself out of the "Daily Planet" explanation.

Lex went back to the special kind of 'Big Foot' idea, "Ok what if the weretiger is not a mutation but an actual evolved species?" All that got was confused looks from Lana and Chloe so Lex elaborated. "Man is an evolved primate i.e. ape. What if the evolved weretiger is an evolved feline that shares a common ancestor with tigers? It is then a natural evolved being and not a genetic mutant."

Lana answered Lex, "That is promising but how could such an evolved creature like a weretiger that can talk human language with Ryan and the Kents and move like lightning evolved on earth and stay hidden from the public? And how could the Kents ever hide such a creature in Smallville?"

Lex thought for a moment. "Big Foot is a possibly an evolved primate that assuming it does exist has been able to stay hidden. The coelacanth fish was thought to be extinct for hundreds of thousands of years but then they caught one off of Africa in the 1930s. It was said the discovery of the coelacanth was like finding a living dinosaur."

Lex was starting to get a little excited, "The weretiger could be intelligent enough to know its survival depended on no one knowing it exists?"

Chloe started to rain on the Lex parade. "Even so Lex that doesn't explain Martha Kent saying the weretiger and Clark are the same. Not meteor freaks but born that way. I can see your logic on how the weretiger would want to remain hidden from humans or at least most humans since they would most likely want to kill them or put them in a zoo and sell tickets. However Clark is not a weretiger but a human evolved from primates like everyone else so what is he hiding?"

Lana didn't know what to do. Even though the ideas Chloe and Lex didn't completely answer everything they sure sounded a lot more probable than Clark was from another planet.

Lex started to spin his wheels, "I don't know Chloe but this thing looks like a tiger related species that has avoided being discovered by man and it's intelligence is proven by Lana hearing it talk with Ryan. For Big Foot its natural range is the wilderness of North American. For a weretiger equivalent of Big Foot its natural range would have to be outside India since India is too densely populated. So it could be Burma or Borneo, some where in South East Asia."

Lex was starting to put a scenario together, "We know from what Clark's uncle said at the barbecue that Clark's parents were killed in a war. All this time I thought it was a human war."

Lana's heart jumped into her throat as the Daily Planet answer once again appeared but then Lex said, "But maybe it was a war between human poachers and these weretigers. Knowing what Clark is like I would expect to find his natural parents on the side of the weretigers against poachers so it follows that it was the poachers that killed them?"

Lex thought about it and after a few seconds almost dismissed the whole thing as too improbable but then decided to at least finish. "That is why I can't find any trace of Clark and Thor-el using the usual mercenary broker's contacts in Brussels. They aren't fighting in a human war since they are protecting weretigers in South East Asia. The second thing that points to South East Asia is the language that Thor-el first spoke to Clark at the barbecue was tonal in nature."

Lana now really didn't know what to think. If the question Clark asked her about how she would feel if Cyrus really was from another planet truly was the Clark Kent secret test question then it could be that Clark and his Uncle weren't fighting in a human war.

Lana shook her head and tried to reboot her brain. So if the Daily Planet scenario was right that would mean Clark and Thor-el right now are fighting an alien war. Just not an over seas alien war but an outer space alien war? No way, that couldn't be; it was just too weird. The whole thing sound like a Star Wars nerd's wet dream. Her whole idea from the Daily Planet had to be a stupid mistake.

As Lana wrestled with her thoughts, Lex summed up his latest wild goose story, "So Clark and Thor-el are somewhere in South East Asia in a war trying to protect an evolved species of weretigers from poachers." When he said it out loud it did sound really silly. Lex's voice kind of dropped off while Chloe with a bemused look on her face said, "That is one incredible scenario Lex; you should be writing science fiction scripts for Hollywood.

Lex looked like the wind has been knocked out of him. "I know Chloe but I am just trying to grasp something that sounds half way realistic." A second later Lex had a light bulb turn on over his head, "Lana you didn't tell us what happened to Whitney? Is he still in North Korea or did the Government do a trade for him or pay a random?"

"None of the above. Martha Kent said Clark and the weretiger rescued Whitney from North Korea."

Chloe looked puzzled, "Lana what was the time line?"

Lana collected her thoughts, "Well, Soon Ko Lee said she had been rescued by a special opts team and they were being chased by North Korean mountain troops. Whitney volunteered to try to hold the North Korean troops off while the others escaped."

Chloe interrupted, "No, the time line for the rescue by Clark?"

Lana gave Chloe and Lex an exasperated look. "Ok, I drove down to see Betty Fordman and arrived in Smallville in the later afternoon. I confronted Mrs. Fordman and she confirmed that Whitney was alive and being held prisoner in North Korea. She also confirmed that the only other person she told that Whitney was alive was Martha Kent in previous evening outside the Talon when Martha saw Betty Fordman crying in her car. I left Betty Fordman and went and bought a B&L sporting scope for the Kent Farm stake out that evening. I then called the twins who were still at Smallville High to see if they knew anything. The twins said Ryan Kent had been acting weird and blowing them off for the whole week. Anyway that evening, and it was a Friday evening the twins and I staked out the Kent farm. It was just after it turned dark that Lisa saw something land in the Kent's backyard. I thought I saw Clark on the porch with the Kents and Ryan and then snuck over to confront him. You know the rest. It turned out not to be Clark but the weretiger thing."

Lana quickly wrapped up the rest of the story as Chloe started to fidget. "The weretiger thing ran away. When I asked Martha for an explanation she told me that Clark and the Weretiger rescued Whitney and he was crippled from torture and didn't want to see me."

"But Lana did Martha Kent tell you where Whitney and Clark were after the rescue?"

"No, she just said they were in Smallville and would be leaving soon. Whitney was crippled but Clark knew a doctor that could cure him. Martha wouldn't tell me where either of them were in Smallville and said that I was a threat to Clark and Whitney didn't want me to see him as a cripple."

Chloe caught the doctor reference, "Lana, that doesn't make sense. Clark has been gone for years. He doesn't know any doctors around Smallville any more. And besides that what country doctor would have the equipment or experience to treat a torture victim. The Smallville Medical Center wouldn't attempt that but medavac him to Metropolis."

Lex jumped in, "If Whitney needed a doctor or a specialist the Kents would contract me. They know that I have contacts with all the leading edge medical practitioners in Metropolis through the medical research that Lex Corp finances. Chloe is right. Clark knowing a doctor in Smallville that could treat Whitney doesn't make sense."

Lana just shrugged her shoulders, "What can I say guys other than exactly what Martha Kent told me."

Lex was already off on the next tangent, "Lana, are you sure that the timeline for the rescue trip to North Korea is correct?"

Lana gave Lex a quick nod and Lex continued, "Because the timeline doesn't make sense. It's just not practical. How could Clark and this weretiger thing get from Smallville to North Korea and back in twenty four hours including a rescue of Whitney Fordman out of a North Korean Gulag? Unless they had a Blackbird SR-71 spy plane that was build for carrying passengers and in flight refueling arranged it couldn't be done. And let's not even pile on the time for planning, passport visas, logistics and the time required for the actual rescue."

Lex walked over to his blackboard and quickly started to sketch out a diagram of the time line for Whitney's rescues from North Korea. A few minutes later Lex stepped back and pointed that the timeline diagram on the blackboard. "Look it is simply impossible. You must have the time line wrong."

Lana crossed her arms, "There is no way I have the time line wrong and the twins can confirm what Martha Kent said to me about the rescue. It's just another of the endless impossible things that Clark Kent manage to make happen." Lana stared Lex down, "Lex, you might not want to believe it. The timeline might not make logical sense but think about it; do you really want to bet against Clark Kent when he goes to the rescue?"

That question from Lana stopped Lex in his tracks. "You are right Lana; taking the other side against Clark in a rescue is the ultimate sucker bet. I fold but that still doesn't explain the timeline. Clark might be fast getting around Smallville with meteor like powers but how did he get to the other side of the world and back in twenty four hours including a rescue from a Gulag in North Korea?"

Lana gave the only answer she had, "Well, Lex we are talking about Clark Kent."

Chloe filled up her huge latte for the third time and took a large swallow of black caffeine to give her head a second wind for brainstorming. "I know unlike you guys last weekend seeing Thor-el I haven't seen him since the day Clark disappeared. And none of us have seen them together since the day of the Talon barbecue at the mansion. But how can you be sure Thor-el really is Clark's uncle? There is a resemblance I know from memory but how do you really know?"

Lex answered, "Chloe even though I haven't seen Clark since the barbecue I remember the way he both looked and moved. The resemblance to Thor-el is obvious except in one thing; Thor-el never holds back. You can easily see he has immense power while with Clark if you watched him closely you could see it but usually day to day Clark always tried to hide his power to protect his secret. Still I think it's obvious they are related by blood.

Lex shrugged, "I saw it and believe it but it's only my opinion based on visual memory. You are right; short of a DNA test there is nothing more than their appearance which can be easily faked so we really don't have any physical evidence that supports the theory that Clark and Thor-el are blood relatives."

Lana inwardly cringed. She really didn't want to face the music on her personal 'but I have physical evidence' story.

Well like it or not it was time to bite the bullet. Ouch! 'Bite the bullet' was a poor choice of words when you are trying to get up the courage to tell a birthday blow job story.

Lana cleared her throat, "Guys, I have a little confession to make about Clark and Thor-el being related or at least very similar that is proven through physical evidence or maybe a better way to say it is through similar physical experience."

Well this was something new; so Lex and Chloe turned to give their full attention to Lana's confession.

Lana took a deep breath and then released it. Well here goes, "I told you about Aunt Nell last weekend in Smallville spending the night with Thor-el in the Kent's loft. I had the same question you two have about proof of Clark and Thor-el's blood relations so I asked her to describe what Thor-el was like…"

Chloe's eye brows went up, "Lana, do you mean like, as in like, to have sex with?"

Lana cringed again for the tenth time. "Yes that is exactly what I mean." Lex just smiled and waited for her to continue. "Now don't either of you ever breath a word of this to anyone. If Nell ever found out I told you she would die of embarrassment but of course not until she killed me."

Lex just kept smiling like a Cheshire cat and said, "Don't worry our lips are sealed even if Nell's weren't."

Lana rolled her eyes, "Ok, this is it. Nell said she had the night of her life with Thor-el. The way she described his body was as a Greek god with an eight pack and a sheet of steel underneath perfect blemish free skin. So does that sound like anyone we know?"

Lex smirked and flicked his head at Chloe, "I'll leave that one for Chloe to answer."

Chloe just shot a look at Lex and said, "Of course you are describing Clark. I noticed how solid he was under that perfect soft skin every time I found an excuse to hug him but Lana that doesn't prove anything."

Lana answered her, "I know Chloe but just let me get to the physical evidence part. I can't think of any way to say this other than just come out and say it so here goes. Nell had oral sex with Thor-el and the important part was how she described what happened when he had an orgasm."

Lex just had to interrupt, "Let me guess, Nell swallows."

Chloe cut him off with, "In your dreams, Lex."

Lana just looked at the pair of them and thought of all the other places on earth she would rather be than telling this particular story to these two sarcastic perverts. "Actually Chloe, in this case Nell did swallow or at least try to swallow as much as she could. The only way to describe her attempt is: Thor-el's semen tasted like raspberries and it was pink. And there was a lot of it and it seemed like it was never going to stop no matter how quickly you swallowed."

After hearing that Lex cracked a big smile and Chloe's eyes lit up. A second later Chloe looked puzzled, "Ok so he ejaculated a lot of pink raspberry flavored semen. Interesting, erotic and good to know if you like to swallow but Lana how does this line up as physical evidence that Thor-el and Clark are blood relations?"

Lana tried her best 'put it together' look on Chloe but got nothing but a blank stare back from the Daily Planet's supposed star rookie reporter.

Lex took his usual smirk and turned the sarcasm up a few levels. As far as Lex was concerned this was major girl talk and he decided it was one conversation that didn't need any input from him.

"Chlo….eeeee! How many guys have you ran into that ejaculate a pint of raspberry flavored semen?"

"Gee Lana, none, so I guess I am hanging out with the wrong guys. Maybe I need to do a girl's night out with Nell." Chloe reached up and brushed her hair off her forehead. "I still don't see your point. So Thor-el is unusual. He was unusual from the first time I saw him at the mansion barbecue in senior year. Just from the way the guy looks it doesn't surprise me that for any lucky girl including Nell, the blow job delivery is unique."

Lana just stared at Chloe until the silence prompted Chloe to continue. "Ok Lana I admit I have never ran into a guy that ejaculated a pint of raspberry flavored pink semen and Thor-el looks as good as men get but what is your point?"

Once again Lana cringed as her toes started to curl, she really didn't want to confess this to these two none too sensitive souls. "The point is Chloe that I have run into a guy exactly like that right down to the pint of pink raspberry semen."

Chloe delivered to Lana her best 'wow' look while Lex decided that being a fly on the wall in the girl's locker room was a gift from the gods.

"Holy shit Lana! Not you, Nell and Clark's uncle. Is Smallville turning into a family reunion in the Appalachian mountains?"

Lana shuttered and did her best to choke back the hot chocolate that wanted to projectile vomit across the balcony, "Jesus, don't gross me out. No Chloe I mean someone else. Someone else that would provide physical proof of blood relations."

There was a moments silence and then the pieces in Chloe's head came together with a bang.

"OH MY GOD, you blew Clark Kent!"

Lana's didn't want to look at either Chloe or Lex so covered her face with her hands as she slipped into a chair and looked down toward the floor of the balcony.

Chloe wasn't going to let this chance go without squeezing it for all she could.

"You little cocksucker; the pink princess gives head and even swallows!"

That was enough to set Lana off, "Shut up, Chloe Sullivan! It was his birthday and don't try to play the innocent with me. I spent too many hours as your roommate listening to you brag about your lack of gag reflex."

That comment hit Lex like a sledge hammer in the funny bone and he started to howl like a laughing hyena.

Lana spun around to confront Lex, "And don't you get all righteous with me Lex Luther; we all know your reputation. I am a fashion designer and half the models in Metropolis have wrapped their thighs around your eyes."

Lex looked in great pain as he held his aching sides and tried to catch his breath, "Yea right pink princess or should I say Ms Deep Throat!"

Lana was speechless as Lex started to wheeze as he tried to catch his breath, "Hey Princess, how was the raspberry sherbet surprise when a plaid trouser snake puked pecker snot on your tonsils."

"You dirty pig, fuck off Lex!"

Chloe just had to keep giving Ms Perfect Pink a good kicking, "Stop swearing princess of pink or I will slap you on the side of the head and knock Clark's penis out of your mouth."

That one did it. A second later all three of them were laughing so hard they couldn't stand. Lana felt like her sides were going to split open while every vein in Lex's bald head pulsated in rhythm with his howls of laughter. Tears were running down Chloe's face as various shades of red washed across her face.

It was about five minutes later than the trio finally laughed them selves out. Lex called for a five minute recess and headed to the kitchen closet to get a broom to clean up the broken glass and spilled hot chocolate. Chloe went off to the bathroom to splash some cold water on her face.

Lana was out on the balcony by herself for a few minutes and was thinking, 'All in all, the "birthday blow job in the loft" confession went better than I expected.'

From Lex's balcony Lana looked across the city to the model of the Daily Planet turning and once again thought about what Clark said to her about Cyrus. How could such a thing be true? Was she really losing it or had she finally figured out the secret of Clark Kent? How did any of this fit together?

And most important; was she ever going to taste that pink raspberry flavored semen again?

……To be continued as second part of the same chapter…………

PS Sorry if that update crossed the line of good taste but good taste has always been a little elusive to moi. It's really busy in the sandbox but I will try to update the 2nd half of this chapter before elections.

After the election I be going underground to hunt in the sandbox for three to four weeks so after Dec 15th next update will be in 2006.

Cheers SandSniper


	49. A Call To Arms Part 45b

Part 45b: Alien Revelations from Allah or Idiots: It's Called the Daily Plant; not the Daily Earth!

Lex finished cleaning up the broken mug of hot chocolate while Chloe and Lana settled down to warm smiles and a few giggles.

Lex using his superior management leadership skills stepped up to his blackboard to get the secret busting brainstorm session back on track. Lex decided to do a summary so far of what they had discovered about the mystery of Clark Kent.

Lex flipped over the blackboard and wrote down the following points in bullet format.

First, we all agree that Clark has meteor freak like powers and more than just one kind of power. Both Clark himself and Martha Kent have told Lana that Clark is not a meteor freak.

Second, Clark is born with his powers. Being born with powers or at least the power of super strength is proven by the incident with the school bully in grade one. Also Martha Kent said Clark was born the way he is to Lana.

Third, Clark's powers unlike meteor freaks are variable. Sometimes he has them and can do those incredible rescues but other times he gets hurt the same as anyone else. Proof is being unable to stop being hung up as scarecrow, being thrown onto a car by Eric Summers and being injured, getting sick and being unable to save Perry White at the gorge.

Fourth, Clark's powers might not always be available but when they are his powers are incredible. Most meteor freaks have a single power but Clark has multiple powers. The only exception was the meteor freak Eric Summers who had more than one power but even after being injured, Clark was able to defeat Eric Summers.

Fifth, Clark had the power to save Lana in a tornado which there is real doubt any of the meteor freaks would be able to do even if they wanted to. Clark saving Lana in the tornado was confirmed by Thor-el. Clark was in the truck and the details on how he saved Lana no one knows.

Sixth, Thor-el and Clark are blood relatives. This is confirmed by Lana and Nell being nice enough to do the BJ taste test and both came up pink and raspberry flavored.

Seventh, Thor-el and Clark have the same secret which means the same powers. This is confirmed by Thor-el standing up to me when I pointed the gun at him and when he told Lana no one from Smallville could have saved her in the tornado. Also Nell told Lana from her conversations with Thor-el in the loft she believes Thor-el and Clark have the same secret.

Eighth, Thor-el sees Clark's secret as normal while Clark, the Kents and Pete see it as something that must be kept secret at all costs. Proof is that Thor-el didn't think twice in confirming to Lana that Clark was in the truck with her during the tornado.

Ninth, the weretiger that Lana saw is not a meteor freak but has some connection to Clark. Proof is Martha Kent told Lana that the weretiger was not a meteor freak but the same as Clark and thus not mutated but born that way. So it follows that Clark's blood relative Thor-el is also like the weretiger. There is some connection or common factor between Clark, Thor-el and the weretiger.

Tenth, whatever the weretiger is or what its connection is to Clark and Thor-el a mystery is how the Kents could keep its existence secret in Smallville. Clark and Thor-el at least look like everyone else but the weretiger looks like nothing else you are going to find walking the streets of Smallville.

Lex stepped back and did a quick scan of the points he had written on the antique blackboard. Lex frowned and said, "Of course this is what we know so now how about a few questions we don't have the answer to." Beside the ten points Lex started to write down a few of the questions that had come up so far in the evenings discussions.

What kind of aircraft did Lisa see land in the backyard of the Kents the night Lana saw the weretiger?

How did Clark and the weretiger get to North Korea to save Whitney and back in less than a day?

Chloe bounced up and grabbed Lex's hand as he was writing down the next question.

"You know Lex we have been looking at this from the angle of Smallville and Clark in Smallville. You and Lana said that Thor-el told you that Whitney joined him and Clark in fighting this mysterious war. Instead of running around in circles in Smallville the key is to find out once and for all where this war is that they are all now fighting. That is the new angle. Let's leave Smallville behind and concentrate on where is this war?"

Chloe was beginning to hit her stride. "A key has to be that special aircraft, if that is what it was that Lana's niece Lisa saw land in the backyard of the Kents. It has to be some kind of special military aircraft that is super fast and maybe that is how Clark got so fast from Smallville to North Korea."

Lex tried not to sound defeated, "That's just it Chloe. I already checked out that angle. Last weekend after I got back from Smallville I called in some favors with the CIA." That revelation got Chloe and Lana's attention. Chloe kind of whispered, "I didn't know you had contacts in the CIA but since you do are they available for me when I need to confirm a Daily Planet story?"

Lex laughed, "It's not as James Bond as all that Chloe, Lex Corp just does some consulting work for the CIA from time to time; mostly technical hardware stuff and not clock and dagger spy policy. So anyway, what happened was after last weekend hearing Thor-el say that Whitney is alive and now fighting with him and Clark I called my contacts at the CIA to check it out."

"It turns out that Whitney did survive Indonesia and when declared dead went into black opts. Some years ago he was on a mission to North Korea to rescue the North Korean mathematician turned present day Metropolis university professor Soon Ko Lee, who was captive in a North Korean Gulag. The special opts rescue team were being chased by North Korean mountain troops so Whitney volunteered to stay behind and hold off the North Korean soldiers. He was captured and tortured but due to the Quarterback's last stand the special opts team and Soon Ko Lee was able to escape North Korea. After that CIA intelligence knew he was crippled and being held in the North Korean Gulag but they couldn't do anything to get him out."

Lana was shocked, "You mean the CIA and US government just abandoned a US citizen to the North Koreans?"

Lex held his hands to the side in defeat, "Well Lana there is not a lot they could do and officially Whitney is dead so doesn't exist. Being sacrificed to the mission is just part of what special opts soldiers do and they know the risk profile when they make the decision to take the mission. Anyway about eight months after being captured there was a huge incident at the North Korean Gulag where Whitney was being held. The CIA recorded it on satellite photographs. It appeared as if a major battle happened and hundreds of North Korean soldiers were killed. On that day Whitney Fordman disappeared from the North Korean Gulag without leaving a trace. The best information the CIA has is from a North Korean guard from the Gulag that defected a few years ago. His story was the American sniper even though crippled somehow escaped the Gulag. During his escape attempt a North Korean convoy cut off his route to freedom but they were attacked by an unknown aircraft of incredible technical sophistication. And that is all they know."

Chloe did a quick double take. "Ok we now have collaboration. An unknown aircraft in North Korea." Lana cut in, "Martha Kent saying Clark and his friends rescued Whitney." Chloe came back with, "Lisa sees a weird thing maybe a special aircraft land in the Kent's backyard while we can't figure out how Clark got to North Korean and back."

Lex shook his head, "The timeline still doesn't add up. As I said before the aircraft would have to be faster than a SR-71 blackbird and on top of that be able to carry passengers and use practically no fuel. It's impossible."

Chloe wasn't ready to give up, "But Lex this is Clark Kent. The mysterious Clark Kent that can do anything when it comes to a heroic rescue."

Lex just looked out at Metropolis and the Daily Planet building, "Chloe I know Clark is amazing and can do a lot of things but even Clark Kent can't fly and there is not aircraft on earth that could do what the North Korean timeline of the alleged rescue demands."

Chloe wasn't going to give up, "Yes, you are right Lex but this is Clark Kent we are talking about." Chloe looked up and gave Lex and Lana a little smile, "Since its Clark in question maybe he stopped at Area 51 and hijacked a UFO to fly to North Korea?"

Lana's heart leapt up into her throat. At this point she had almost dismissed as completely impossible the rhetorical question Clark asked her about Cyrus being from another planet. But Chloe bringing up UFOs brought the answer to Clark's secret again to the forefront of her mind. Could it be true? Any of it?

Lex gave a little laugh, "I don't think even Clark Kent has powers to hijack a UFO from Area 51 even if Area 51 had an alien spacecraft. All I can say for sure Chloe is Whitney was in the North Korea Gulag prison during the time in question and he did disappear the night Lana saw the weretiger and spoke with Martha Kent."

Lana didn't know if she should even tell Lex and Chloe about her memory triggered by the ball on the top of the Daily Planet building of Clark asking her how she would feel if Cyrus actually was from another planet. The two of them were jumping from crazy theory to crazy theory one after another so did they really need another impossible story to add to the mix?

Now hearing Lex and Chloe joking about UFOs confirmed to Lana that her idea was just stupid. The only result of telling such a crazy story would be the two of them would have another good laugh at her expense. If there was anything to her secret idea Lana was sure Lex and Chloe would have come to the same conclusion.

Chloe went over to the blackboard and to take another look at the summary points Lex had written down. She pointed to the blackboard, "Guys it has to be here. I think the key is finding the war. So let's just shelve the Whitney rescue timeline questions and concentrate on where is this war."

Lex told them about his efforts over the years to track down Clark and Thor-el, "Ever since I heard Thor-el speak that strange language when he first addressed Clark at the barbecue I have been trying to identify its country of origin. All I know for sure is it was a tone based language like Chinese and Vietnamese. So that is why I thought the Far East was the place to start. The weretiger that would able be a hint that most likely points to somewhere in South East Asia. Those are the only two clues we have where Thor-el is actually from."

Lana had been quiet for the last while but now something was bothering her. It was a further clue that was just playing a little outside of her conscious thoughts. There was something else that pointed to South East Asia for Thor-el's location.

Lana got up and started to pace as she tried to remember. Lex and Chloe noticed the change in Lana Lang as she went into her trademark tiger pace.

Chloe held out her hand to get Lex's attention and then to keep from breaking Lana's train of thought softly said, "What is it Lana? Do you remember something?"

Lana just looked at her and gave sharp nod she continued to pace. Chloe shrugged her shoulders at Lex as they waited for Lana to verbalize what was bouncing around in her head.

Lana turned out to look at Metropolis. She could see far out in the harbor a ship steaming in from the open sea. It was a huge container ship and Lana could clearly see the red and green running lights on the wings of the ship's bridge. Lana stepped forward to the edge of the balcony and leaned against the railings. Her eyes dropped down to the street far below and saw the lights change from red to green and the traffic start to move.

'Red to Green,' Lana again looked out into the harbor at the container ship's running lights. 'Red and Green!' Then it hit. 'Green! Green lights. In Lana's memory emerald green lights flashed while being held in the hands of a farmer in a cozy kitchen in Smallville.'

Lana spun around, "Green, that's it." All she got from Lex and Chloe were a couple of blank stares.

"What do you mean Lana? What is green?"

"It is further proof that the war is in South East Asia. Don't you remember?"

Lex just shrugged his shoulders while Chloe said, "Remember what?"

Lana rolled her eyes, "The day that Clark disappeared. We went over to the Kents and Jonathan Kent told us that Clark had gone but Thor-el in order to solve their financial troubles and in thanks for adopting Clark gave the Jonathan Kent's a dozen emeralds. Great big green uncut emeralds."

Chloe put it together, "I remember that and the clue is the emeralds are like conflict diamonds. Last year I did a story on conflict diamonds for the Daily Planet. Conflict diamonds are what the warlords and paramilitary groups fighting in Africa use to pay when they do international arms deals. You can identify where a diamond comes from by doing light spectral analysis while cut diamonds are registered and with a laser marked with a serial number. The same thing happens in war zones all over Asia with other gem stones like emeralds. While diamonds come from South Africa, colored gemstones come from South East Asia. From places like Burma. Thor-el had must have had access to emeralds so it follows that Thor-el would be from Burma."

Lex quickly stepped in to break down this line of thought. "Girls I hate have to say this is another dead end but there is something that I should have told you about the emeralds that Jonathan Kent gave me that night to sell on the Amsterdam gem exchange. Those emeralds didn't come from Burma."

Chloe shrugged, "So they are from somewhere else in South East Asia. Maybe Cambodia?"

Lex shook his head, "No, not Cambodia. Those emeralds Jonathan Kent gave me to sell are not from any of the known mines in South East Asia."

Chloe was now looking confused and frustrated. "Come on Lex; even if it was true how could you know such a thing?"

Lex gave Chloe and Lana a sheepish look as he told the two girls what happened. "This is embarrassing to admit but I never sold the emeralds Jonathan Kent gave me in his kitchen on the Amsterdam gem exchange." Lex shrugged his shoulders, "Instead I had them appraised by gem dealers in Amsterdam and paid the Kents the appraisal value. So to be honest, I bought Thor-el's emeralds myself."

Chloe asked, "I don't get it, Lex; why would you do that? Do you just really like emeralds that much?" asked Chloe.

Lex confessed his motives. "No, I did it because Clark said goodbye to us all that day. Also I remember Jonathan Kent's face when he asked me to sell them. It was right then and there from the look on Jonathan Kent's face that I realized that it was really happening and Clark was leaving for good." Lex ran his hand over his bald head. "I just couldn't sell the emeralds. They felt like part of Clark and the last connection to Clark that I would have so I bought them myself."

Lana was starting to get confused. She couldn't see where Lex was going with this. Lana reached out and touched Lex's hand. "Lex, we understand what you mean and why you bought them for yourself but how do you tie in the emeralds to where this mysterious war is located? And what's the connection to Clark and his Uncle Thor-el?"

Lex told them, "Ever since the day that Clark disappeared I have been searching for him and his Uncle. I have used every idea to try to find where on earth is mysterious war is located."

"I still don't see what you mean Lex?" A frustrated Chloe exclaimed!

Lex explained it to her, "Every idea includes paying the best gem experts in Europe to identify the geographical source of the emeralds. I'm sorry but the whole exercise turned out to be a dead end because as far as the Amsterdam gem community is concerned the emeralds didn't come from any known gem mine in all of South East Asia." Lex paused for a moment then continued to outline story of the emeralds. "However, the gem dealers did say they were the most pure, flawless emeralds any of them had ever seen. For their own motives they tried to find out where the emeralds had come from but I couldn't tell them. The gem dealers tried their best to identify the source but Thor-el's emeralds were different from any emeralds any of them had ever seen before."

Chloe shook her head, "All your high priced European gem experts made a mistake. Those were a dozen huge uncut emeralds and they came from mine located some where. After all they just didn't fall out of the sky."

Lex with a defeated look said, "Chloe of course they didn't fall out of the sky and I also thought they came from some unknown mine in South East Asia. So I covered that possibility. What I did was leave a sanding order at all the gem dealers in Europe and Asia to buy any emeralds of the same quality that appeared on the market. I knew when the emeralds appeared again I would have a clue to a direct link to track down where Clark and his Uncle have been hiding all this time. But it has been years and I have never had a single gem dealer come to me with emeralds of the same chemical composition and quality. I'm sorry but it's a dead end. Those emeralds haven't provided any breakthrough to where Clark disappeared to with his Uncle Thor-el."

Lana felt the cold chills run up her spine. She had almost talked herself out of the Cyrus Krump explanation of Clark's secret but now inadvertently Lex had tossed the far out; and that is very far out, idea of another planet a thin lifeline.

Lana Lang drew a cautious breath and softly said, "Lex, what if the source of the emeralds is not where anyone expects it to be?"

Lex and Chloe together turned to look into the deep hazel eyes of Lana Lang. As he heard Lana's question Lex felt a strange feeling wash over him. It felt like Lana just asked him a very important question in a very casual way. Even with that strange feeling hanging over him all Lex could think to do once again repeat to Lana what a dead end it had been to try to discover the source of the emeralds. "Lana no one knows where any of the original emeralds could have come from. I have been waiting for years for a call from every gem dealer in Amsterdam with word that emeralds of that chemical composition have appeared on the market. If it every happened I would know. No one can sell emeralds like those anywhere in the world without drawing the attention of my gem dealer network."

While Lana thought about it Lex quickly added, "Just look at how the whole Amsterdam gem dealer community swarmed me when I had the emeralds appraised. Chloe is right; the emeralds didn't just drop out of the sky."

Lana with a cautious look addressed Lex. "I didn't say the emeralds fell out of the sky. We all know they didn't fall out of the sky into Jonathan Kent's hands but were put there by Clark's Uncle Thor-el. Lex the question is where did Clark's Uncle Thor-el come from?"

Chloe was quickly becoming irritated as the conversation appeared to be moving in circles. "Instead of repeating the obvious Lana say what you are trying to say? It's still a dead end. We don't know where Thor-el came from. That is why Lex is using the world's gem dealers to monitor the market for emeralds like the ones that Thor-el gave to Jonathan Kent."

Lana tried again to push the thoughts of Lex and Chloe outside the box. "Guys, the emeralds didn't come from the South East Asia mines. Such emeralds have never appeared on the world's gem market since Lex had them examined in Brussels. We do know the emeralds are unique and Thor-el handed them to Jonathan Kent in a country kitchen in Smallville."

Lana looked back and forth in the faces of Lex and Chloe and got nothing back but blank stares. "Come on guys; the emeralds are as unique as Thor-el. Which means the emeralds are from the same place as Thor-el is from? He is as unique, thus Clark is unique but Clark only grew up in Smallville. Clark is also from where Thor-el and the emeralds are from.

Lex really didn't feel like rehashing over and over the same dead end about the emeralds. "How many times do we have to repeat it? Lana, we know all that and it doesn't help us at all. The fact is the only emeralds on earth like the ones that Thor-el gave to Jonathan Kent are in this apartment."

From the balcony Lex pointed into his living room at the far wall where there was a frame hanging that held a comic book behind a thin pane of glass. "Right behind that Warrior Angel first issue comic is my wall safe containing the original emeralds that Jonathan Kent handed to me all those years ago in the Kent's kitchen."

Lex just couldn't see why Lana wouldn't drop this dead end angle centered on the emeralds. Lana looked back at him with her doe eyes open slightly wider than normal and softy said, "Thor-el is the source of the emeralds; not a mine any where in South East Asia or even anywhere else." Lana raised her eyebrows to try to cue Lex to get his brain outside the box, "Those emeralds in that wall safe are unique compared to any emeralds mined anywhere on earth. Just as unique as the source Thor-el and there is only one other like him, Clark Kent."

In the dark recesses of Lex's brain a couple of unused neurons fired and a light bulb lit up over his head. A deep furrow creased across his forehead. Suddenly Lex quickly turned around and looked directly at the Warrior Angel first issue that covered his wall safe.

Chloe started to say something but Lex's hand waved away her interruption. Then Lex once again pointed into his apartment directly at the location of his wall safe. Lex slowly turned toward Lana as he started to tremble.

"Lana is it Warrior Angel?"

Lana with her own look of shock on her face just gave Lex a quick positive nod.

Chloe caught Lana's eye and Lana just shook her head for quick no at Chloe's confused expression. For once in her life Chloe remained silent.

Lex spun around and in two strides was over at the balcony railing looking out at the Metropolis skyline. He stared for a few seconds and then turned to Lana.

"Lana it is the Daily Planet?"

Once again Lana gave him a quick positive nod of her head.

"Holy shit, Lana!"

Chloe just couldn't take it anymore and yelled out, "What is hell is going on?"

"Just be quiet for a minute Chloe and let me think," Lex exclaimed without even looking at her.

"Lana is Clark Warrior Angel?"

Lana felt her heart skip a beat and with a quiver in her voice answered. "Yes, Lex, Clark is Warrior Angel except Clark is not bald."

Lex sighed as realization of the secret flowed into him intellectually to replace his intuition. "Unbelievable, it is just so incredible". Lex felt numb, "You know Lana I should have put it together before when you freaked out looking at the Daily Planet building. I even had the advantage of knowing the emeralds were as unique as their source. For me it took knowing about the emeralds and the catalyst was looking at my Warrior Angel first issue hanging right there in plain sight covering my wall safe."

Lana smiled at Lex, "I must say you are taking this a lot better than I did when it came to me."

Lex answered her with a tired sheepish grin. "That may be because I have been reading Warrior Angel comics all my life." Lex let out a little snort, "For me meeting Warrior Angel is a childhood dream not a nightmare. You know some thing else that has been bothering me for years is finally answered. Now I know why Dr Virgil Swan was so interested in Clark. I have to wonder if Dr Swan before his death ever figured it out."

"Lex!"

Chloe looked like she was going to burst as Lex answered her. "Chloe, it's called the Daily Planet not the Daily earth. The emeralds are unique. There is no source for the emeralds on earth."

"Stop saying that over and over and instead tell me what the hell it means?" Chloe exclaimed.

"Just like Lana said; the source of the unique emeralds is Thor-el. Clark is the same as Thor-el. And to finally answered the secret for me is both of them are the same as Warrior Angel," Lex gave Lana a quick smile, "Except as Lana pointed out unlike Clark Kent, Warrior Angel is bald."

A panicking Chloe still didn't see the connection. "So what? We already have established Clark and now Thor-el must have super powers like your stupid Warrior Angel comic book hero. Big deal! So they also have hair unlike Warrior Angel. What are you two talking about?"

Lana softy answered, "Chloe the only difference between the real life Clark Kent and fictional Warrior Angel is the hair. Other than that they are the same."

Then Lex took over, "Chloe, Warrior Angel is a comic book about a strange visitor from another planet with super powers who happens to be bald." There was a slight pause for Chloe's confused look before Lex continued, "Just like Clark and Thor-el except the bald part."

"What is with your stupid obsession over a comic book character's lack of hair?" Chloe's voice trailed off into silence. Then her eyes stretched open, her jaw to the floor as the pieces came together. "Oh my stars! Are you two saying what I think you are saying?"

Lana with a weak smile said, "Yes, Chloe that is exactly what we are saying."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

Lana stood up and looked at Chloe. "Yes Chloe; that is Clark's secret. I know it's the secret because the rhetorical question that Pete referred to was when Clark asked me what I would think of Cyrus Krump if he actually was from another planet."

Chloe jumped up, "But Cyrus wasn't."

"That's right Chloe, Cyrus wasn't but Clark wasn't asking the question looking for my answer about Cyrus. He was asking the question about himself. That question was Clark's test of the possibility that I would be able to accept his secret. It was a test that I failed." Lana's words trailed off and the silence over took the trio as each of them were lost in thought.

After a couple minutes Chloe broke the silence. "I can't believe it. Clark Kent is too weird for the wall of weird."

Lana rolled her eyes, "You can say that again. I can't believe how easily you two are taking this compared to my freak out. I have had a while to calm down but already both of you look more relaxed that I feel even now."

Chloe gave Lana a sympathetic smile and then kind of cringed, "You know Clark was right. He read us all correct. Even after Lex and I promised not to Clark knew Lex was still investigating him and he knew that I made that terrible deal with Lionel Luther for the Daily Planet column. Lana you never sold him out the way Lex and I did but he still read you dead on the money. Clark knew Lex and I would sell him out and he knew you would freak out so he just stayed quiet."

Lana just shrugged in acceptance, "I can't believe I never remembered before this evening Clark asking me that rhetorical question about Cyrus. Maybe I never thought of it again because it just didn't seem significant let alone possibility being real."

Lana looked up with a guilty look, "Your right Chloe when Clark asked me I said I would be freaked out and then I confirmed to him that I would never feel comfortable around Cyrus if he actually was from another planet. Now I can't help but wonder if Clark would have told me the secret if I had just been more accepting."

After a moment of thought a memory came to Chloe, "I think there was more to Clark not telling you than just freaking out. Remember Pete said knowing the secret was dangerous. So don't beat yourself up Lana. I remember Clark asking me if I would be freaked out if Cyrus was really a space alien. I told Clark I thought space aliens would be a step up from most people. It didn't change anything like convincing Clark to confide in me with his secret."

Lex sat down on one of the Louis the fifteenth 'deck chairs' and looked up at the two girls. "It seems silly now but here is my experience with telling Clark Kent what I think about aliens. It was during the days of Cyrus Krump that I actually asked Clark if he thought aliens walked among us. In fact I also told Clark while actually sitting in the Talon that I always wanted to meet an alien. So Lana don't be too hard on yourself; just like Chloe's experience; being positive about aliens didn't bring out any kind of secret revelation from Clark Kent."

Lana paced for a few seconds, "I am scared about one thing. What if we are just fooling ourselves and we have talked ourselves into this alien conclusion for Clark's secret. How can we be sure this is real? Have we really figured out his secret or have we tricked ourselves into this explanation? I mean we have the unknown origin of the emeralds and Clark and Thor-el's shared physical characteristics and the weretiger which appears to be the same as Clark and Thor-el in the most general sense. We also have Dr Vigil Swan's interest but couldn't it all be explained by a more typical Smallville explanation?"

"What you want Lana is independent collaboration," Lex commented.

"Exactly"

Chloe held up her hand and Lana and Lex turned to her. "Guys, I think I can provide that. Chloe quickly corrected herself, "Or at least some independent collaboration that is still circumstantial evidence."

Lex perked up, "You know; I think I can also, but you first Chloe."

Chloe took the floor. "Remember I said earlier that I though Pete found out about Clark's secret early in second year at Smallville High."

Lana remembered, "Sure that was the time where Aunt Nell started to date Dean. But didn't you say Clark and Pete were fighting at first and then after a few days they settled their issues and became closer than ever? I know about the fight because Clark told me when he caught me in his loft using his telescope to check if it was safe to go home."

Chloe's eyes lit up, "That's right Lana but it's also at the time when Pete pulled that truck driver out his truck after an accident. The truck driver had been babbling about a space ship being in the field after he crashed his truck."

"Space ship!" Lana exclaimed.

Lex rolled his eyes, "Gee Lana didn't you ever watch Star Trek? How could an alien get to earth without a space ship?"

Lana shot a sarcastic look at Lex, "Thanks for your professional opinion, nerd boy."

"Guys," and then an annoyed Chloe continued her story. "The day after the truck accident I caught up with Pete in the hall way at school and he was fighting with Clark. When I asked him about the rumors about a space ship being at the accident he said there was a space ship there and he even met an alien that looked like Clark. I thought he was joking and then he stormed off. When I asked Clark what was wrong with Pete, Clark just said it was guy stuff."

Lana cut in, "Then that happened earlier in the day before Clark caught me using his telescope that evening in his loft. He told me in the loft that he and Pete had a big fight and he wasn't sure their friendship was going to last. He wouldn't tell me what their big fight was about but only said it was personal."

Chloe finished off her analysis. "Then that is it. We know from Pete he found the answer to Clark's secret by accident. Clark never willingly told him. So I am guessing Pete found out about Clark because of this space ship the truck driver he saved saw in the corn field. So after seeing a space ship Pete somehow connected it to Clark. Pete was naturally freaked out but later came to terms with it. That is why after their fight when ever I raised any questions about a Clark related mystery to Pete he would immediately shut me down. All Pete did after that space ship sighting was run interference on Clark's secret." Chloe turned to Lex and smiled, "Well that is the way I see it so do you have better independent collaboration?"

Lex smiled back, "Not better as in physical evidence but there is more than a few strange coincident events to consider. At the time my father was visiting Smallville and met with Dr Hamilton the meteor freak. Dr Hamilton was looking for funding after I cut him off. Dr Hamilton told my father he had a space ship."

"Wow!"

Lex said, "Wow is right. Dr Hamilton took my father over to his barn to show the space ship to him. Even though my father was blind and couldn't see it he told me he felt the space ship. He said it felt unique but of couldn't confirm it was what Dr Hamilton claimed." Chloe and Lana gave each other a look as Lex continued. "After the death of Dr Hamilton in a lab accident I went with my father over to Dr Hamilton's home to see the space ship but it had disappeared."

"Dam, another dead end" Chloe sighed.

Lex shook his head, "Not conclusive proof but not a dead end either; my father said that Dr Hamilton told him an octagonal disk was the key to opening the space ship. My father had Dr Hamilton guide his hand over the space ship and he felt an octagonal indentation in the ship. Now here is the interesting part. During my investigation of a meteor strike in a field the year before your junior year at Smallville High my team found an octagonal disk. The disk however was lost on the day the twisters hit Smallville."

Lex looked up at the two girls, "Now when it comes to other witnesses claiming to see space ships in Smallville there was an incident years earlier during meter shower. A freelance investigator I was associated with Nixon found an old crop duster pilot that claimed he saw a space ship come down with the meteors."

"So there has been a space ship story floating around Smallville for a long time confirmed by several independent sources." Chloe said.

"Exactly," agreed Lex.

Lana nodded in agreement, "All these different stories of seeing spaceships in Smallville could also be linked to that strange aircraft that Lisa saw land in the Kent's backyard the night Whitney was rescued from North Korea."

"Taken one at a time the space ship stories are just that stories. But put it all together and the whole thing fits quite nicely on the wall of weird," Chloe exclaimed. "The space ship sighting during the meteor shower also fits into when Clark first appeared in Smallville. It was just a few days after the meteor shower that the Kent's adopted Clark. Remember I studied Clark's adoption for that student biography paper in junior year. Clark's adoption is mysterious and not just because Lionel Luther was involved in setting up the adoption agency. There is no record of Clark being born anywhere or being in any foster home or orphanage before being adopted by the Kent's. The Kent's adopted Clark when he was about three years old right after the meteor shower."

Lex pointed to Lana's sketches of the weretiger was laying on the exquisite Louis the Fifteenth antique being used as lawn furniture. "Lana you said that Martha Kent told you Clark and the weretiger are not meteor freaks but were born that way. That they are the same."

"Yes," agreed Lana.

"Then that means these sketches of yours are of a space alien. A space alien different from Thor-el and Clark?" Lex sat down and started to rub his temples. "I just can't get my head around this; the whole thing is too incredible."

Lana gave him a sympathetic smile, "You can see now why I wanted you to come to this conclusion yourself instead of me blurting it out a couple of hours ago. It's just too far out and even now I still can't believe it outright."

Chloe felt everything was fitting together just a little too easily now that the idea of another planet had come up so decided to play devil's advocate. "That's just it guys; all evidence we have come up with here is just circumstantial. We still don't have any hard evidence."

"Where do we go for hard evidence?" Lex asked.

"Get a witness," Chloe answered. "I am going to call Pete and spring it on him and we will get thumbs up or thumbs down."

Lana didn't agree, "That is not a good idea. We can't ask the Pete or the Kents to confirm. We are already on thin ice with both of them over Clark's secret. They are just too paranoid. Besides both the Kents and Pete would deny it to the end and we will get no where except to get them so mad at us that there will be no coming back from it."

"What do you suggest Lana because Chloe is right?" asked Lex. "As good as the evidence we have to support our theory about Clark's secret it still is all circumstantial."

Lana outlined her solution. "Tomorrow I am going to go speak to someone that will confirm everything and she won't hate me for it."

"Go where?" asked a confused Chloe. "Pete is in Metropolis, Ryan is at Metropolis University and the Kents are in Smallville and we can't ask any of them. And who is the she that won't hate you?"

"She is Betty Fordman." Lana with a sly smile said, "Remember Thor-el said Whitney is fighting in this mysterious war. After the death of his father Whitney and his mother got even closer than the average mother and son relationship. There is no way that Betty Fordman does not know where Whitney is and that means she knows about Clark Kent."

Lana pointed an elegant fingernail at Chloe, "You are coming with me Chloe. Betty Fordman never misses going to church in Smallville. After church tomorrow you are going to drive me over to have tea with Betty Fordman. After I speak with her we will drive over to the mansion since I am sure Lex you are going to want to be at the scene. Besides I don't want to be saying anything about Clark Kent's secret over the telephone."

Lex approved, "Of course I won.t miss it but I will be late since I have a meeting with some of Lex Corp's European managers tomorrow. Just call me on my cell and I will come and meet you any where you want in Smallville. I also think it's a good idea not to risk speaking about Clark over the telephone. Now that that is settled you guys can crash here and tomorrow morning I will arrange you to fly to Smallville by helicopter. Later I will follow as soon as I can."

For the next hour Lana, Chloe and Lex discussed every detail of every story regarding the mystery of Clark Kent. Time and again it seemed that the explanation of a space alien in plaid with mysterious powers would go a long way to explaining the life and times of Smallville's own teenage hero Clark Kent.

Lana even went over every detail with Chloe and Lex of her conversations with Thor-el where he would refer to earth as Smallville and how he made endless references to his world and how he and Clark are different that everyone else. Even Thor-el casual attitude toward telling her Clark was in the truck the day of the twisters pointed to someone who was like Clark in every way except with little or no concern about Clark's secret being special. Exactly what one would expect in a space alien's attitude.

Everything appeared to fit together but still the hard evidence of a direct witness or physical proof was missing.

Lana was only sure about one thing: The conclusive proof of Clark Kent being so much more than just a Kansas farm boy in plaid was waiting for them in Smallville.

To be continued as Part 46: Tea Time in Smallville


	50. A Call To Arms Part 46

Part 46: Tea Time in Smallville

Chloe and Lana after the long night of brainstorming Clark's secret hadn't got a lot of sleep. The good thing about staying up half the night to brainstorm was they were both too tired to dream about the incredible conclusion the Smallville three musketeers had reached regarding Clark Kent's secret. At the crack of dawn the two girls were dragged out of a dreamless sleep by an alarm clock which signaled they had only a few minutes to get ready before heading up to the roof of Lex's building to meet their ride to Smallville on the helicopter pad.

The helicopter trip to Smallville had been mercifully uneventful and both of them dozed most of the way. It was two very disheveled girls that stepped onto the green pasture scattering the surprised cows as the Lex Corp helicopter touched down in the open field across the road from the Potter Farm.

After a couple of quick showers and a wholesome country breakfast with Nell they left to go to the small wooden framed church that served the protestant faithful of Smallville. The Kents came into the church a few minutes late and Lana and Chloe both gave Clark's parents a wave when they caught their eye. The two girls were answered by a cherry pair of smiles from Martha and Jonathan.

Lana couldn't help but be amazed that this happy but ordinary couple had raised and protected a space alien child on a farm in the middle of Kansas without ever divulging such a secret to anyone. The Kents really were the most incredible of parents.

After Church finished Chloe chatted with the Kents outside in the bright sunlight while Lana after a quick hello excused herself to find Betty Fordman to set up the after church tea social. Ten minutes later Chloe was driving Nell's truck while Lana took in the smalltown scenery of white picket fences and pick up baseball vacant lots. They didn't say much to each other in the short ride over to Betty Fordman's even though it was the first time they had been alone together since they woke up in the huge guest rooms of Lex's Metropolis penthouse apartment.

Soon they arrived and their truck stopped in front of the small white framed house with the large backyard that was the home of Betty Fordman.

As Lana stepped out of the truck Chloe asked her, "Now you are sure you don't want me to go in with you?"

Lana gave her a weak smile. "No I think considering the topic a one on one conversation will be best to draw Mrs. Fordman out. She always did like me and trusts me so solo is what the situation calls for. I don't know how long I will be but give me at least an hour before checking in on my cell phone."

Lana gave Chloe a weak smile, "Any advice on how to ask someone if her son is in outer space with a local farm boy that happens to be a space alien?"

Chloe with a smirk said, "No, even Chloe Sullivan doesn't know how to kick start that interview. Good luck Lana and remember she loves you like a daughter so use that; we really need complete and independent collaboration otherwise we have nothing but a wild goose story."

Lana just nodded and in a few moments disappeared into the Fordman house.

For Chloe after more than an hour even the Norman Rockwell painting view that was Smallville stretching out before her over the hood of the truck was getting a little stale. Besides Chloe only had eyes for the figures of Lana Lang and Betty Fordman seated together in front room in the quant white framed house.

From Chloe's vantage point it appeared that after the usual initial pleasantries for the last three quarters of an hour Lana and Betty Fordman had been involved in an intense conversation. Chloe knew that Lana was getting to the crux of the topic de jour since Betty Fordman had been regularly bursting into tears to be followed a few moments later by Lana Lang doing the same. It looked to Chloe that the two of them had done more crying than talking for the last half hour.

Just when Chloe thought she couldn't stand it anymore the front door of the Fordman house opened and Lana Lang with Betty Fordman stepped onto the front porch. Lana and Mrs. Fordman hugged in a warm embrace. They finally broke apart and Lana gave Mrs. Fordman a quick goodbye kiss on the cheek and started to walk toward the truck. Mrs. Fordman saw Chloe waiting in the truck and when they made eye contract gave Chloe a friendly wave as she again wiped her eyes.

It was a red eyed Lana Lang that opened the door to the truck and climbed inside the cab.

Chloe couldn't wait another second, "So what did she say Lana?"

Lana hung her head and when she looked up Chloe thought she would once again burst into tears. Lana with a long world weary sigh answered, "We were right Chloe; it's all true and the truth is horrible. I still can't really believe it." Lana made a vague gesture pointing up, "Up there is where they are; they both are; both Clark and Whitney. The two of them are fighting in a war. A horrible war that is even more dangerous and terrible than the wars here on earth."

Chloe's hands with white knuckles gripped the steering wheel of the truck as she whispered, "Wow, it is real. It really happened. It's all true. My God, what are we ever going to do now?"

Lana reached over and touched Chloe's arm. "First of all you are going to ease up on the steering wheel death grip." Chloe immediately let go, "Sorry about that."

"Forget it Chloe; I don't even know what I am feeling now. All I do know is we need to call Lex and let him know. After that I really need a few minutes to think about this and take it in so let's not talk now but instead drive out to Chandler's field. I'll tell Lex to meet us there and then I will fill you both in at once on everything Betty Fordman knows including the details regarding the war that Clark and Whitney are fighting and the rest of it. I just can't talk about it right now."

Chloe agreed, "Sure that sounds like a good idea besides I don't want to be driving when you tell this story. I will probably wrap the truck around a tree or at the very least wipe out a few mailboxes. So call Lex about the Chandler's field rendezvous and then relax until we get there."

Lana dialed Lex on her cell phone and a second after making the connection Lex picked up. "Hi Lex, it's me. I just spoke with her. We were right. It's all true. We are just going to go out to Chandler's field so can you meet us there? Great, see you soon. Bye."

The two girls settled into an introspective silence for the ten minute drive out to Chandler's field. The Chloe pulled Nell's truck up to the old windmill and they got out stepping onto the green pasture of Chandler's field.

Lana broke the silence, "There are a lot of memories out here. A lot of good memories."

Chloe answered, "Yea and some not so good. I remember being buried alive a few yards away from where we are standing." Chloe gestured with her right hand, "Right over there; by a deputy sheriff that wanted to trick Smallville into believing he was a hero. As fate would have it instead of dying out here in the cold ground Smallville's true hero Clark Kent rescued me."

Chloe opened a brown shopping bag and took out a six pack of Singha lager. She took one for herself and handed another to Lana.

"Thanks Chloe," Lana opened her Singha beer and took a quick sip. She then took a look at the label. "This is Thai beer isn't it?" Lana smiled at Chloe, "Quite the exotic brew for drinking in a field in the Kansas countryside while sitting on the tailgate of a pickup truck."

"Not as exotic as Smallville's own teenage hero." Chloe looked sideways at Lana as she continued, "It's just so unbelievable that our favorite farm boy makes this beer from the other side of the world seem as domestic as a can of cream corn."

Lana felt the swirl of emotions and try as she might she couldn't focus on a single one. "Chloe, by the end of our brainstorming session last night I was so surprised to finally learn the secret of Clark Kent that I didn't know what to think and was too tired to know what to feel. Now here stilling on the tailgate of a truck in Chandler's field drinking beer I still don't know what I am feeling. Part of me is relieved to finally know the secret and the other part still can't believe it."

A tear appeared at the corner of Lana's eye and with an absent mind she brushed it away. "What are we going to do Chloe? Our best friend from Smallville High is a freaking space alien. How do we deal with that? What are we supposed to do now?"

Chloe reached into her jacket pocket and surprised even herself by producing a pack of French cigarettes. She had found then in the truck and guessed that Nell had a little habit that she didn't want to share with the twins and Lana. "I really don't know Lana. My brain is numb and I feel as confused as you sound. Here in the bright sunlight of the Kansas afternoon the whole experience of today and last night feels like a dream. I met a space alien in grade eight. I still don't know how could such a thing be true?"

Chloe lit up a thin cigarette and took a long drag.

Lana finally noticed what Chloe was doing.

"What's with that Chloe? You don't smoke."

"I just found out my farm boy friend is a space alien so today I am going to smoke."

Lana thought about it for a second and considering the situation Chloe's logic made sense. Lana reached out. "Give me that," Lana took a drag and immediately started to cough, "Smoking sucks."

"So do you Lana, in fact you suck farm boys from outer space."

Lana handed Chloe back her cigarette. "You are just not going to let that go are you?"

Chloe took an introspective look at the burning cigarette and after snubbing it out flicked the butt into the bed of the truck. "I guess I shouldn't tease you. After all I can't believe my first kiss was with a space alien."

"Well I can't believe I gave a birthday blow job to a space alien. And in his loft in a barn in Kansas of all places."

Chloe gave Lana a sideways smile, "Ok you win that beats mine. Congratulations on the wall of weird gold metal."

Lana shook her head, "Actually when I think about it I am only taking home the silver metal. Aunt Nell shagged a space alien in the same loft so the wall of weird gold metal goes to her."

Chloe laughed, "Story of my life when it comes to the Lang women. Chloe Sullivan with only a kiss from a space alien loses again to not just one but two Lang women to end up with the bronze." Chloe paused for a second, "Lana I have to ask you this before Lex gets here. I mean; what was Clark like on his birthday?"

Lana's eye brows raised and she flushed a little at Chloe's question. "What do you mean?"

Chloe sounded a little embarrassed, "I don't know. I mean, like did he give you any warning?"

"That's a silly question Chloe; after all this is Clark Kent we are taking about." Lana gave a little inward smile at the memory. "Of course he was a gentleman and said he was cumming but of course that didn't mean he let go of the back of my head."

Lana with a sheepish cum drunk grin said, "After all he was really into his birthday."

"Nice!"

"I didn't mind. It was his birthday so I was going for the intimacy of swallowing." Lana reflected on the memory, "Actually I should say trying to swallow. It might taste good and I've had a fetish for raspberry anything ever since but the truth is space aliens deliver a lot of semen."

Chloe giggled, "I wonder if that is in the handbook on the care and feeding of space aliens?" Chloe paused and then asked, "You know something Lana?"

"What?"

"Only a total dumb ass would ever think you are a fairy princess."

"Clark did."

"Ok, only an alien dumb ass."

Lana smiled, "I guess as far as you are concerned I finally outlived that cover of Time magazine."

"Hey princess as far as Chloe Sullivan is concerned you out lived that fairy princess label in grade eight the day I noticed Clark Kent making moony eyes at you. My label for you after that was cheerleader skank but of course now it's replaced with space alien's skank."

"Thanks……in a very disturbing way."

Chloe sighed as she looked across Chandler's field from the tailgate of the truck. "Here we are joking about it yet I still can't believe it."

Lana thought for a second, "You know what I can't believe? I spent all that time with Jason screwing my dumb ass while all I wanted was to have Clark Kent's babies." Lana got a wistful look on her face, "Dam I wanted him to knock me up. Its not very honorable but if he got me pregnant even if he didn't love me I knew with his child I would have Clark Kent as part of my life forever."

Chloe gave Lana a funny look, "I hate to break it to you but being a space alien do you think Clark can even have children with an earth girl." Chloe chuckled, "Even a real easy earth girl."

Lana answered, "Hey I didn't know Clark's secret then and besides finding out you blew a space alien on his birthday changes a girl." Lana looked up and focused on the Kansas sky stretching out before them to infinity and said, "I would just like to thank you universe for screwing with me like your bitch."

"Laaaaana!" Chloe exclaimed as she gave Lana a poke in the side. "Don't call yourself that?"

"Chloe I didn't say I was a bitch as much as say the universe is treating me like its bitch."

"Oh right Lana that makes it a normal thing to say." Chloe looked over at the dirt road, "I wonder what is taking Lex so long?"

As if he just got the cue to enter the scene Lex's silver Porsche appeared and in a few minutes he turned off the main road taking the dirt path that lead up to the windmill in Chandler's field. Lex pulled up beside Nell's truck and stepped out to walk over to where the two girls were sitting on the tailgate of the truck.

Lex didn't waste any time. "Hi girls, I trust the meeting with Betty Fordman was memorable."

Chloe answered, "Yes, even if I spent it waiting outside in the truck. It took over an hour but Betty Fordman confirmed to Lana all of last nights suspicions."

"Incredible"

Chloe agreed, "You can say that again."

Lex addressed Lana directly, "Was Betty Fordman able to tell you any details like where is Clark? Is he coming back? Where he is from? What is the story about this war?"

Lana with a weak smile said, "Yes except for the crying she talked non stop for over an hour. I think it was therapeutic in a way for her to have someone to talk to other than just the Kents." Lana slid off the truck's tailgate standing up and then gestured to Lex, "Sit down Lex and I will tell the whole conversation to the two of you."

Lex went over and sat down next to Chloe while Lana Lang paced back and forth in front of them. Neither of them interrupted Lana as she recounted the story that Betty Fordman told her. Betty Fordman confirmed their brainstorming session's conclusions about the mystery that was Clark Kent. Clark as a toddler had been in a space ship that had crashed near Smallville. The Kents found him and after calling in a favor from Lionel Luther to fake the paperwork had adopted and raised Clark Kent as their own. Clark had had incredible powers as a child and developed more as he grew up. All this power was why Clark Kent never was allowed to attend playgroups or birthday parties.

Finally Lana knew why even growing up beside each other as neighbors why the Kents were always polite but so reserved and reclusive. They lived in fear that someone would see Clark do something and they would lose their child to a government lab.

Then Clark grew into his teens he started to do the incredible rescues using his amazing powers. They never tried to stop Clark from saving people but the Kents had been scared to death that Clark using his powers so often in public would finally make a mistake and someone would figure out that there was some much more to Clark Kent than meets the eye.

Chloe and Lex finally knew why the Kents had been so unforgiving when it came to their individual investigations into the origins and activities of Clark Kent. The simple fact was the Kents lived every day with the fear that someone was going to someday appear and take their child away from them.

For a long time Lionel Luther, Lex, Chloe and even Virgil Swan had been the focus of that fear. Then the day that they had feared came; the Kent's nightmare of losing their son came true. It was however not from the expected investigation by the government or powerful men like Lionel Luther but from a completely unexpected area. The area turned out to not be the government or scientists but from outer space. One of Clark Kent's own relatives came looking for his nephew that was marooned on a planet he called Smallville. The blood relative was a warrior from a destroyed planet called Krypton.

The Kents couldn't even blame Thor-el for any of it. In taking their son away from Smallville and even to war Thor-el had saved his life. Betty Fordman didn't know the details but she had confirmed to Lana that if Clark Kent would have stayed on earth in a few weeks or even days he would have died. She couldn't tell Lana how but she did say that Whitney himself confirmed to her that Lana Lang was the reason that Clark had to leave earth. Somehow she had the power to kill Clark so he had to leave for his own safety. The irony and the guilt that came with that information was indescribable for Lana Lang. She still didn't know how but it was true. She was the reason that Clark Kent had to leave Smallville.

Again Betty Fordman didn't know exactly how but she told Lana that she was still a threat to Clark Kent. Which is why on those rare occasions that Clark did get home to Smallville to visit he always had to avoid her at all costs.

Betty Fordman told Lana the details behind the rescue of Whitney from the North Korean Gulag by Clark, Puss'n'Boots and Chuut Ritt. As Lana Lang sat with a cup of tea in hand Betty Fordman casually explained how three space aliens in a space ship who happened to be visiting the Kents in Smallville rescued Whitney. Then in tears Betty Fordman recounted to Lana how her crippled son told her he was going to the stars to fight with Clark Kent. What Betty Fordman didn't tell Lana was that Whitney was aging ten years for every earth year. Even with space aliens and galactic war Mrs. Fordman thought that fact was just too much for her son's first love to handle.

In rare visits home in between battles Whitney had told his mother everything about the war. So Betty Fordman outlined in detail the war for the galaxy between the Weave and the Clove. Now even as Lana repeated the story of the destruction of Krypton, death of Clark's parents, the galaxy wide war between the Weave forces of light and the Clove forces of darkness she still couldn't believe it on an emotional level. Oh, Lana knew it was true intellectually. There was too much evidence and independent collaboration but even if her brain did her heart still couldn't accept the truth.

Finally the incredible story of the teenage hero of Smallville came to an end. No one knew what to feel let alone say.

Lana stopped pacing and looked up at the sky. "I just can't believe it. The love of my life and my first love are somewhere up there in freaking outer space fighting a war."

Chloe was just shaking her head from side to side while Lex just stared off into the distance.

Lana in a pleading voice asked, "What do we do now?"

Chloe stopped shaking her head and looked up. "The only thing I know Lana is the biggest story off all time is never going to be published."

"I know what to do," Lex said as the girls both looked at him in disbelief.

"Lana remember what Clark's uncle told you to do at the Talon? He said to do great things. He said that we should all go do great things because Clark sure was doing great things. That is the answer that we are looking for. I know everything we had learned in the last day is overwhelming. After all here we are talking about it while standing in a field in Smallville. The best thing I can think of to do is exactly what Clark's Uncle the space alien advised."

Chloe just had to ask, "Do great things? This guy has an actual space ship that he travels the stars with and the best advice he has is to do great things. What the hell does that mean?"

Lana knew, "Chloe it means do what Clark Kent would do?"

"Ok, if I was a space alien I would know what that means when a space alien says it but I am just a junior reporter at the Daily Planet, you are a junior prosecutor at the district attorney's office and Lex is a tycoon? We are all doing ok but are we doing great things as defined by a space alien with super powers?"

Lex cut off Chloe's rant, "Chloe it means exactly what Lana said, do what Clark Kent would do. Clark might be a space alien but he is a space alien we all know. Besides I have a plan or instead of a real plan more like a goal."

That got Lana and Chloe's attention and Lex outlined his idea. "We are going to go to Metropolis and do good things. They might not always be great but they will be good. I have a debt to repay. It's a debt incurred by my father when he unleashed Lucas on Metropolis."

A confused Chloe asked, "Lex, what do you mean?"

Lana asked, "I think I know," she turned to Lex, "I have heard rumors in the district attorney's office about Lucas Luther being a lot more than just a ruthless business tycoon. There is talk of links to organized crime."

Lex shook his head, "I wish that just links were the extent of Lucas's involvement in organized crime. The truth is that Lucas Luthor is not just linked to organized crime but he is organized crime in Metropolis. I have reason to believe that Lucas is not just cooperating with Inter Gang but maybe actually be running Inter Gang."

Lana had head the rumors and having met Lucas Luther it didn't surprise her like it did Chloe who looked like she could be knocked over with a feather. "That's impossible Lex; everyone knows Morgan Edge runs Inter Gang."

"I know it's hard to believe Chloe but Morgan Edge is just a front man. I didn't want to believe it myself but it's the truth." Lex stood up from the tailgate of the truck and started to pace. "I have tried for years to make up for what my family has done both here in Smallville and Metropolis. However it has never been this bad. Lucas has even out done my father. I don't know if it is guilt or I am simply desperately seeking redemption but I want to take down Inter Gang." Lex very obviously gave them each a pointed look, "But I can't do it alone."

"You don't have to Lex." Lana softly said. "I am in the district attorney's office covering the legal side. Chloe is at the Daily Planet hot on the press. Pete will join us from the Mayor's office handling the political angle." Lex finished for her, "I can provide money, power and pressure in the grey areas where you three can't afford to get involved. So what do you guys say?"

Chloe just had to ask, "So Lex how grey is the grey areas you are going to be involved in?"

Lex just smirked, "I don't think you really want to know. After all I am a Luthor but maybe it takes a Luthor to take down a Luthor." Lex smiled at Chloe, " I can provide financing for anything, feed Lana evidence to take members of Inter Gang to trial, leak to you stories to play the media angles and with Pete in the Mayor's office helping to keep the politicians from interfering it won't be easy but we do have a chance to do great things."

Lex turned to the both of them. "I am going to do it anyway. Try my best to take down Lucas and Inter Gang. What we discovered over the last day is too incredible to think about so instead let's go back to Metropolis and start something else; something else that is great."

After their meeting in Chandler's field that day the trio continued to speak about Clark Kent and his incredible secret but only to each other. Lana, Lex and Chloe would have long discussions about Clark and speculate if he would ever return to Smallville but always with each other and only in person. They never risked discussing Clark's secret over the phone or in emails. The trio never avoided the Kents, Ryan or Pete but simply through mutual consent chose to not speak to them about how they solved the mystery of Clark Kent.

Later that day Lana, Lex and Chloe left Chandler's field and returned to Metropolis in Lex's helicopter. The trio returned to Metropolis on a mission. Three Musketeers of Smallville soon with the addition of Pete became the Four Musketeers. Upon return to Metropolis they put their plan against Inter Gang into action. With Pete from the political side, Chloe from the media side, Lana from the legal side and Lex in the shadows providing money and coving the grey areas Inter Gang for the first time began to really suffer.

They were doing it. The four of them were doing the great things that Thor-el had told Lana to do in the Talon the day of the twins and Ryan's high school graduation. As they took the fight to Inter Gang Lucas Luther naturally started to strike back but the four Musketeers of Smallville stuck together and watched as best they could each other's backs. They ignored the danger as they continued to attack organized crime in Metropolis.

Little did the Four Musketeers know how much attention their vendetta against Inter Gang was attracting. Attention that means danger!

Mean while 15 million light years away from Metropolis…….

To be continued as Part 47: Once a Hero……or Captain Clark Kent & Ensign Aisha vs the Planetary Pirates!


	51. A Call To Arms Part 47

Part 47: Captain Clark Kent & Ensign Aisha vs. the Planetary Pirates!

Fifteen million light years away from Smallville the universe was getting interesting.

The Weave had never looked back after the Crows freed the Planet of the Massood from the Clove. That victory was the sign of things to come; slowly at first, new things started to happen. The war began to reverse all across the galaxy. Where before there had been stalemate; now the tide slowly but surely turned and began to move against the Clove.

At first analysis the liberation of the Massood plant didn't appear to be a decisive victory. After all many planets had changed hands in the over one thousand galaxy year long war but for some inexplicable reason the freedom the Weave brought to the Massood planet signaled a decisive shift.

The next important military event after the Clove losing the Massood Planet was a break down of the battle lines in the Alpha quadrant of the galaxy. The Crows had broken through the Clove lines using the collapse star jump that Thor-el discovered and thus were able to flank the Clove fleet battle groups. The Crows appeared with total surprise on the flank of the Clove battle groups to then smash into them scattering Clove ships into broken lines so they could no longer hold formation to aid in each others defense.

This breakdown of Clove fleet discipline lead to large numbers of Clove star ships being cut off from Clove controlled space. The isolated Clove ships were now cut off behind Weave battle lines. The Weave fleet closed in and those Clove ships caught on scan were destroyed.

The Crows break through of the Clove battle lines lead to not just a single victory in the Alpha quadrant of the galaxy but to a general rout of the Clove fleet. Quickly the Weave took advantage and liberated dozens of star systems in the Alpha quadrant of the galaxy.

There was however one disturbing by product of the Clove fleet being scattered by the Crows in the Alpha quadrant. The cut off Clove star cruisers were unable to reestablish contact with Clove high command. But instead of surrendering most of them turned rouge. Being rouge with a Clove star cruiser meant turning into a pirate.

Historically before the liberation of the Massood planet the average space pirate enjoyed easy pickings with the Star Fleets of the leading star systems always tied up in war. With the cut off Clove star cruisers turning pirate the old space pirates didn't know what hit them. For the rouge Clove star ships turning pirate meant not only attacking any merchant ships they could find; it also meant taking every opportunity to eliminate any competition in the pirate trade.

Most space pirate ships were nothing more than jazzed up merchant vessels with improved shields, a couple high energy gun mounts and maybe a few extra missile bays to stiffen up a broadside. If space pirates were at all sophisticated they would add military quality stealth capability and electronic defense platforms. However even the best equipped space pirate was no match for a Fleet destroyer let alone a Fleet star cruiser.

The first indication of the chance in the equilibrium of the endless battle between the galaxy's merchant fleets and regular space pirates was when merchant ships started to report picking up on scans wreaks of regular space pirate ships floating in space with the pirate crews all spaced.

At first the merchant ship captains were only to happy to keep running across wreaks of space pirate ships with hundred of bodies of dead pirates drifting in space. However after seeing the initial euphoria of finding so many burning space ships in the prime shipping lanes the novelty is soon gone. Then the captains of the merchant ships started to wonder who is killing all the space pirates? The merchant ship captains didn't know they were going to discover the cure for space pirates was worse than the piracy disease.

The merchant fleets soon discovered there are worse pirates out there and these new pirates were made of rouge Clove star cruisers. The new pirates were even more ruthless and better equipped for piracy than the old space pirates. They were not content with just attacking merchant shipping in transit between the star systems for profit but would from time to time as they did during the war attack colonies and entire planets looking for slaves and booty. It was this habit of attacking entire planets that gave the new pirates their name: The Planetary pirates.

On Board Weave Fleet Star Cruiser the SSS Wolverine:

Captain Clark Kent sat in his command chair on the bridge of his star cruiser

SSS Wolverine and once again looked all the recent intelligence reports that pertained to his ship's orders. The short version of his orders were to take command of the Weave star cruiser Wolverine and look into the disappearance of over a dozen ships in the general vicinity of the Tiberious Red Star System. If as believed pirates were responsible he was to take whatever steps required to capture or destroy the pirates and secure the trading lanes for merchant vessels.

Clark felt a tinge of regret. It really was a shame that the Tiberious system was a red star system. If Tiberious had been a yellow star system he could have left the Wolverine at home and just taken a hyper capable Weave speeder to the Tiberious system. Then upon arrival used his super powers to find the reason for the disappearance of the merchant ships.

At first reading Clark's orders had looked strange to him. Why did the Weave fleet think it was necessary to send a son of Krypton out of a shooting war to go to the Tiberious system and do what amounted to space police work? And why send a Weave star cruiser like the powerful Wolverine all the way to the Tiberious Star System to chase what obviously were space pirates? Then he read the intelligence reports that informed him that two Weave fleet destroyers had been sent to do exactly that and had just disappeared.

Clark had commanded several Weave star cruisers during his 70 galaxy years in the war against the Clove. Clark knew he was a good star cruiser captain but his heart would always be with leading the Crows either as a fighter wing or dirt side on a planet. Clark snickered to himself, who was he kidding, his heart always would be living on a farm in a yellow house watching a raven haired former girl-next-door working in their garden while he watched their children play in the warm Kansas sun. For some reason his heart always set this daydream on a planet called Smallville with a girl named Lana Lang.

Clark pulled his attention out of the day dream and back to the task at hand. The star cruiser Wolverine had an effective crew but they were not his crew. They were not the Crows. The simple fact was that the crew was new to him and he was new to the crew. That is the crew except for the Kzin twins Sim & Suli who were over working on scan. Also Ensign Aisha was standing her watch as the assistant tactical officer. He managed to get the three of them assigned to the Wolverine for this voyage and it was nice to have a few familiar faces on the bridge.

As for the rest of the crew the problem really was that he didn't know them as well as he might have wished. It wasn't as if the crew was surly or unhappy with his command. The problem was no member of the crew would relax and just do their jobs. With Captain Clark Kent the legendary son of Krypton in command on the bridge instead of keeping up any semblance of normally the whole crew was walking around on egg shells. Not a big problem unless you are on a huge Star Cruiser packed with enough firepower to scorch a planet. The current crew suffering 24/7 stage fright was a plague with the lot of them spending their duty watch walking into what ever appeared in front of them and that include both equipment and each other.

Clark gave a mental sigh as he looked around the Wolverine's bridge and saw a crew that in trying so hard to look like they were doing something delivered the net result of doing everything but what needed to be done.

Clark just wished he had the touch. Clark knew he was good, he had seen too much combat not to know that but what he wanted to have was just that little bit extra over a good Captain that made a great Captain. No one ever could put their finger on what exactly made up the touch. Sometimes it's just charisma but the truth was that it's a combination of charisma and something else. Clark knew he had some of it in a way. There was no one that ever served at his side that didn't trust him. Clark knew every officer that ever served with him would have followed him any where……..well until his luck ran out at least.

Captain Clark Kent could convince his crew that he could do anything, and that they wanted to help him do it. But his Uncle Thor-el…..Thor-el made you believe that you can do anything simply because he believes you can. And then he dares you to do it with him.

Clark Kent gave an inward frown. While Captain Clark Kent convinces the crew to follow him; Thor-el just leads them and the crew follows him on their own. No matter how good a captain he was Clark knew his Uncle Thor-el was better.

A memory from seventy galaxy years ago in Smallville came to Clark and an inward smile appeared to chase away the inward frown. Clark thought back the day that Chloe had been infected with the truth drug and Pete, fighting it all the way to keep Clark's secret, had been forced to tell Chloe he was in love with her.

Later in the Torch office Pete had told him the reason he had never told Chloe how he felt about her was he knew he would always be in the Clark's shadow. When Pete told him how he felt he was living in Clark's shadow it had come as a surprise. Clark always thought of himself and Pete as equals. It had never crossed Clark's mind that Pete thought of himself as nothing more than a sidekick in the very long shadow of Smallville's own teenage hero. But now commanding a star cruiser Clark knew how Pete felt all those years ago in Smallville. The very long shadow of Thor-el stretched out across the galaxy to fall on Clark as he stood the captain's watch on the bridge of the star cruiser Wolverine.

Clark sighed and then called up on his tactical computer the war game drills for tomorrow. Clark belonged to the old school doctrine that no crew could possibly be too highly trained and that was true whether they were fighting the Clove Fleet or swatting a few space pirates. That is why for the whole voyage to Tiberious system Clark had daily been running the Wolverine's crew through intensive drills covering every conceivable battle scenario.

The war game drills had been the best part of the voyage for Ensign Aisha. As acting assistant tactical officer she had learned more in a few weeks on the Wolverine than she did during four years at Star Fleet Academy. At Star Fleet Academy Aisha had scored very high in tactics. She understood and sometimes even appeared to live to learn and execute battle scenario tactics. Captain Clark Kent's ability at tactics was painfully evident each time some one came up against him during the daily war game drills. To be frank his ability in the field of tactics almost felt out of place. Aisha knew first hand of Captain Clark Kent's personal integrity and moral character. So it was his fighting style that surprised her; see Captain Clark Kent had an obvious brilliant talent for cunning, one might say even devious tactical maneuvers.

The Tiberious Red Star System:

The SSS Wolverine dropped out of hyper space into the outer system of Tiberious and waited for their screens to clear. It would be several minutes before their active scans would be clear to do a clean sweep of the system and confirm there were no hostile ships in system.

Aisha was delighted to be on the bridge as the Wolverine came out of hyper space but after spending most of the voyage as acting assistant tactical officer today Aisha was assigned to astro navigation duties. She passionately envied the lucky Ensign assigned to her old tactical position.

Aisha was just thinking how she would give her right arm to be sitting twenty feet away from her current position as she brought her astro navigation console rapidly on line. She stomach tightened when her screen came up and finally steadied. It was obvious that the Wolverine's hyper jump into the system had interrupted a grim drama. On her astro navigation screen an icon dead in relative space with its ship beacon transmitting the ID codes of a Weave merchant ship. There was another vessel which was picked up on active scans but its icon a blood red color indicated it was hiding its identity behind a silent ID beacon and accelerating away from the Weave merchant ship and the Wolverine.

"Positive ID on the Merchant ship Captain," the Wolverine's astro navigator reported crisply. "I have her on the shipping list. She's the Sweet Delight, 6 million tons of pure bulk hauler," and then he added grimly, "She's squawking out a code seventeen." Which everyone knew translated into "I am being boarded by pirates".

"Range to target?" Everyone knew that Captain Clark Kent was referring to the silent space ship fleeing from the scene of the doomed merchant ship. Aisha darted a quick glance over her shoulder. The Captain's eyes were no longer his usual friendly hazel green as he gazed intently into the tactical display deployed from his command chair. Captain Clark's eyes were now the bright fierce eyes of a predator. She couldn't help it and Aisha turned back to her own display with a tiny shiver.

Tactical answered the captain in disappointed tone, "10.5 million clicks and we don't have the angle on them. The pirate ship is already accelerating to hyper limit and we won't be able to pull enough vector angles back to run them down before they jump to hyper space."

"Do you concur, Astro Navigation?"

"Aye Sir, it will take an hour just to decelerate to rest relative to the merchant ship and check for survivors while the pirate is going to be accelerating away the whole time. Even if we ran by and left the merchant ship behind the relative position of the pirate and their base vectors won't let us even pull them into extreme missile range."

"Very well," Clark said after a moment, "Astro Navigation, put us on a course for the merchant ship." The bridge fell quiet for a few moments while everyone tasted the bitter fruit of knowing the pirates at least this day were going to live to fight another day.

"Communications, keep trying to hail the merchant ship; there still could be survivors." Captain Clark knew it was a long shot but maybe they had arrived in the Tiberious system before the pirates had time to massacre the merchant ship's crew.

"Prepare a boarding party of Marines," Captain Clark said to Lieutenant Commander Tausig who was in charge of tactical and then nodded to Aisha at her assistant Astro Navigation station. "You two are relieved from bridge watch to join the boarding party."

Aisha showed no sign of awkwardness as she buckled on the weapon belt holding the pulsar side arm. She had fought in the battle of Tamarrion against the Clove during the defense of the Massood planet so was comfortable with infantry weapons. Also the hours of training each weekend in shooting and martial arts by her surrogate father Chief Abe didn't hurt.

The shuttle craft packed with Marines in full battle amour loaded up while Aisha waited for her turn to board with conflicting waves of anticipation and dread washing through her. Aisha had heard enough grisly stories from teachers and instructors at the Academy about having to clean up after pirates. For a moment Aisha's stomach clenched in apprehension but not even a little queasiness in her midsection could quench her sense of excitement in anticipation of what she might potentially be facing in a few minutes.

Aisha couldn't help but feel out of place standing in a group of Marines wearing full hard cased, power assisted battle amour. The fact that she was a third generation pre prolong drug recipient made it only worse. Both her grandparents and natural parents had been on prolog drug programs to delay the effects of aging. It was not that Aisha wasn't grateful for the additional centuries of life she was going to enjoy. The problem was that no matter how old you really are or how much combat experience you had when you were thirteen years old fighting a desperate guerilla war on your planet if you look like a child the galaxy treats you like a child.

It just compounded the effects when she received the initial pro long drug treatment earlier than most with the result that it slowed down the normal mammal maturation process proportionately sooner. Which meant that at the chronological age of twenty one standard galaxy years, she still looked like a fourteen year old. A very petite fourteen year old playing her part as a pretend Fleet naval officer in a school play.

Of course it was far worse than just that because the horrible truth was that Aisha was cute. It was the physical curse of her life. She wasn't beautiful, handsome, pleasant or even pretty but just really dam cute. Aisha was petite, and even the hours of martial arts and knowing a dozen ways to kill with a paper clip couldn't make her look any thing but delicately built with the usual Massood coloring of paper white skin and hair. To top off her misfortune most primate species even ---God help her---found her longish pointed ears delicately elflike.

It was at the exact point of the "elfin ear" thought that Marine Sergeant Matino managed to appear beside her in position to tower over Aisha. Sergeant Matino was a natural born heavy worlder who made even her old heavy worlder roommate at the academy Claas look petite. He was the biggest man she had ever seen and if anyone made jokes on the SSS Wolverine about his size it was always behind his back.

Aisha had heard all the stories about Sergeant Matino. He had arrived on planet Sirialis with his parents as refugees when they escaped as stowaways on a tramp merchant ship. They had risked everything to escape their home heavy worlder planet that was under occupation by the Clove. Sergeant Matino's family arrived with the clothes on their backs but was always grateful to have escaped the brutal manual labor slavery that happened to all heavy worlder planet populations under the Clove. Like so many refugees from tyranny Sergeant Matino, his parents and his many brothers and sisters were unabashed patriots, fiercely devoted to Planet Sirialis and the Weave which had taken them in and given them freedom.

He was also a gigantic being; not an ounce of fat but instead he appeared to be made entirely out of hard bone, muscle and grizzle. Exactly want you would expect from someone born and raised on the heaviest of the heavy gravity planets. Standing next to him in the shuttle made Aisha feel five years old. The Sergeant's weathered, competent appearance combined with the heavy exoskeleton powered battle armor looking more like a skin suit on his huge frame only emphasized the feeling that she was a child. Well at least if Sergeant Matino made her feel like a child, his was a reassuring maybe even fearsome presence.

The shuttle craft did a sweep down the starboard side of the merchant ship sitting still in space. The shuttle craft appeared to float in dead silence in the ink black shadow of the merchant ship as hull mounted spotlights pierced the ebony dark. Then something moved in the darkness. At first it was more sensed than seen; a moment later the shuttles strong spot lights illuminated the horror in the dark.

There floating in space was the body of a merchant ship crewmember that couldn't have been much older than Aisha. And she would never grow older. She wore no suit. Even the standard merchant uniform she had once worn had been half ripped from her body when the vacuum of space sucked her out to its death embrace from the airlock. An expression of pure horror was frozen on her face from the blood caked around her mouth and nose from when she helplessly tried to breath in a vacuum.

It was not simply death but ugly desecration. Even with her combat experience in the battle of Tamarrion Aisha swallowed hard as she came face to face with the dead girl. Aisha remembered all the times at the academy she and her friends teased one another; humorously threatening to "space" someone for some real or imaginary misdeed. Looking in the face of a corpse which had once been a young woman until some pirates jettisoned her like garbage made forever any joking about "spacing" no longer funny.

Aisha saw a flash of a helmet light high up toward the deckhead. The huge form of Sergeant Matino bent over and he locked helmets so they could communicate privately. "Ma'am it's going to be bad inside; what ever you can imagine, it's going to be worse. Be careful and stay behind me. It only takes one lunatic pirate left behind when we jumped into the system to kill you or an entire squad. If we find any pirates holding out it won't make you feel one bit better to know whoever killed you was shot himself five seconds later. Do you understand me Ma'am?"

Even if she did look thirteen at least Sergeant Matino still had the presence of mind to refer to her superior rank. "Of course Sergeant, thanks for the concern. I've seen combat before," Aisha could see Sergeant Matino's eyebrows rise in disbelief before he could stop them. "I do appreciate the words of wisdom Sergeant; the body of the spaced woman just surprised me for a few seconds."

Aisha gave him what she hoped was a sincere smile of part competence and part professional thanks. Sergeant Matino then unhooked and they both turned to the front when the shuttle shuttered as its grappling arms completed docking into one of the merchant ship's bay galleries.

Aisha listened to the Marine Major has he joked with his men while at the same time he brought them into character to do the job. Aisha wished she felt remotely as calm as the Marines appeared. Of course part of it must have been an act, the same way warriors throughout history had put on relaxed faces to demonstrate their confidence before facing the unknown. Still there was a tough resilient professionalism underneath the act. Aisha decided that was what she envied most about the Marines.

The battle armored Marines locked their heavily armored helmets into place while Aisha sealed her own clear globular helmet. A few moments later they cracked the seal of the external hatch and entered the ghostly merchant ship.

The Marines split up into two squads and started their separate sweeps of the merchant ship. The two naval officers split with them and moments later Aisha was following her Marines in soot black battle armor with limbs swelled with exoskeleton powered "muscles" holding pulse rifles scanning for targets.

"Just a minute, Ma'am" the Marine in front of her said suddenly, and Aisha came to a halt behind him. She could hear the Marines on point talking about secondary explosions causing a technicolor funeral. She couldn't see past the huge Marines in front of her and her curiosity was almost more than she could stand---especially since she was technically the senior and only officer present. However that didn't mean under the circumstances she would ever attempt to assert authority over a noncom of Sergeant Matino's combat experience.

The Maines blocking her view moved aside and Aisha abruptly wished they hadn't.

The entire right hand corridor had been ripped as if by a huge angry talon of a mythical bird of prey. The passage way was splintered and broken, half melted along with whoever of the merchant ships crew had been caught in the corridor when the blow hit.

Aisha couldn't even tell how many crew members had been in the passage way. The port bulkhead was pitted where fragments of the starboard bulkhead hit it along with the crew now turned into blood patterns splashed across it. To Aisha it looked like some lunatic pirate with a spray gun of gore had been interrupted halfway through repainting the corridor using bits of the crews flesh and bone to add texture to the blood as artwork.

Severed limbs, burned torsos, fingers, bits of uniform and even an intact boot with the owner's foot still in it all rushed at Aisha's senses. Out of the corner of her eye she felt Sergeant Matino watching her. Aisha made herself stand there for a moment taking in the scene of unspeakable carnage. Then she drew a deep breath.

"Sergeant Matino, I believe you suggested keeping to the port side of the corridor due to structural damage?" Her voice sounded strange to her, detached without the quivers of shock she felt running through her body."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Well then," Aisha said, "Since I am the lightest person here I will go first to check the footing." Once she crossed the Marines followed her and then quickly took point again moving out, armor sensors and old fashion eyeballs probing for danger. It wasn't long before they found more bodies. This time they were more intact but still a mess.

"What do you think, Sergeant Matino?"

Sergeant Matino was struck by how calm Ensign Aisha sounded as she stood looking down at the mangled bodies in the middle of an enormous puddle of congealing blood. Sergeant Matino dropped to one armored knee, his tone almost clinical while his Marine squad spread out, pulse rifles ready to spit death.

"More than one weapon, Ma'am."

"Flechette darts from up passage?"

"Yea, I would say so from the blood spray patterns. Also someone with a pulse rifle down that way looks like."

Aisha's brow furrowed as she spoke her thoughts aloud. "So it wasn't all one sided. They were able to take out some pirates."

Sergeant Matino gestured at the two worst mangled bodies, "Who ever fired the flechette darts took out these two. Looks like they probably just came out of the side passage when they were hit." But the guy up there was behind them had time to get his pulse rifle into action and he's the one who got this pirate."

Sergeant Matino prodded the body with his toe. It's uniform was in rough shape but the collar insignia and belt buckle was unmistakable: Clove military. The attackers might have been pirates but they definitely weren't ordinary space pirates but the dreaded Clove military personnel gone rogue: Planetary Pirates.

It took three hours to sweep the merchant ship. The bodies of the crew and a few pirates in the familiar Clove military uniforms were scattered about in small clumps and groups. Most of the dead had been killed by flechette darts but some had been killed by the high powered military grade pulse rifles. At least two woman crew members had been strangled to death during what looked like a gang rape and three more were found together killed by having their throats cut with arms tied execution style behind their backs.

Aisha and the Marines never found any crew alive but found plenty of bodies of both crew and pirates. Some of the merchant crew surrendered to the pirates while others knowing their fate chose to fight to the last. In the end after finding the rape rooms it appeared that those who decided to fight to the death made the better choice.

The report Lieutenant Commander Tausig made to Captain Clark Kent was brief but to the point.

"..….so Captain that is about it," Lieutenant Commander Tausig sighed and let his report drop onto the corner of Captain Clark's desk in his ready room. "No survivors, some fought but none survived. There were a few of the crew found still hanging in one of the small cargo holds that had been turned into a torture chamber. Also two women crew members were found dead in what looked like a rape room." Tausig's voice started to break but then it steadied and he continued. "It looks like they were the last to die. They might have even been alive when we jumped into the system. I surmise the pirates were torturing some crew for the access codes for the secure cargo spaces. Others were just amusing themselves with the women left alive. Then seeing our hyper footprint in the outer solar system they killed those crew still alive and made their run for it."

Tausig didn't look good and felt worse. "These were no ordinary pirates. The acceleration of the pirate ship when it ran from us was not that of a jazzed up civilian space ship. It was military. They hit that merchant ship hard and fast. Boarded her, amused themselves with the crew and then butchered her entire company. These have to be the Planetary Pirates."

"Not exactly what the briefing from Fleet Intelligence told us to expect," Clark said quietly. He tipped back on his chair and gazed at the deckhead."

"It's a Clove star cruiser cut off and gone rogue pirate. The only thing you can count on from them is no mercy. It's like the lunatics are running the asylum and are even crazier than you expected and that is the end of my report."

Tausig paused and then asked, "What are your orders now?"

Clark gave him a grim smile, "We are going to either lure them to us or hunt them down in open space. Either way Commander Tausig we are going to kill them."

……..To be continued as: Part 48: Captain Clark Kent & Ensign Aisha vs. the Planetary Pirates: Against the Odds!


	52. A Call To Arms Part 48

Part 48: Captain Clark Kent & Ensign Aisha vs. the Planetary Pirates: Against the Odds!

Hyper Limit: The distance a space ship must be from a star or huge gas giant planet like Jupiter due to gravity to jump into hyper space (go faster than the speed of light). It's important to get to the hyper limit to improve your chances of escaping when you are being chased.

"Down the throat shot": A missile or energy beam attack launched directly at the front of a star cruiser in order to direct damage lengthwise all through the star cruiser. Directly targets the vulnerable forward slower than light "wedge". This is the most deadly attack vector for destroying star cruisers.

"Up the skirt shot": Opposite of the "down the throat shot". A missile or energy beam attack launched directly at the rear of a star cruiser in order to direct damage lengthwise from the rear all through the star cruiser. Directly targets the rear slow than light "wedge" generated by the drive engines. This is the second most deadly attack vector for destroying star cruisers.

Broadside: Firing all at once the missile tubes and energy beam weapons on either the port (left) side of the star cruiser or the starboard (right) side of the star cruiser. Think of the old pirate moves or Master and Commander where the war ship fires at once all the cannons on one side.

Chasers: Those missile tubes and energy beam weapons pointing either directly forward "forward chasers" or directly backward "rear chasers".

Wedge drive engine: Generates a wedge field for normal space movement (less than the speed of light).

Warp drive engine: Generates a warp field for hyper space movement (faster than the speed of light).

Impeller nodes are along the bottom of a ship and generate an Impeller field used for both normal (faster than light) and hyper (slower than light) movement. Impeller nodes are needed to allow the use of both Wedge and Warp drive engines. No weapon can penetrate an impeller field but the field only covers the bottom of a star cruiser.

Electronic warfare counter measures: decoys and electronic jamming to confuse and fake out the guidance systems of attacking enemy missiles so they lose course and miss their target like your space ship.

Laser counter measures: Last ditch close in defense measures to counter a missile attack

X-ray laser head missiles: Missile warheads that when they explode produce powerful directional X-ray lasers that cut into a metal star cruiser like huge knives into meat.

Stern Wall: A strong shield that covers the rear of a star ship to protect against an "Up the skirt shot". It requires zero acceleration and time to bring up to full defense strength and doing so drains power from weapons and the shields covering the rest of the star ship.

Now Smallville AU Story "A Call to Arms" Continues!

On Board Weave Fleet Star Cruiser the SSS Wolverine:

Commander Tausig grinned at Clark, "After what we saw the pirates did to the crew of the merchant ship Sweet Delight those orders sound sweet. There won't be any problem with motivating the crew to go on the hunt. I am curious about one thing; why did you choose the new Ensign Aisha to join the boarding party. It was pretty bloody over at the wreck of the Sweet Delight and maybe the kind of scene a junior officer should be eased into; if you don't mind me saying."

Clark's grim smile faded, "Of course I don't mind, I wanted her to go over and see what pirates do to get her into a motivated mind set for a special mission." Clark looked at Tausig's puzzled look and then filled him in, "The Tiberious system has a single inhabited planet with a small population of less than thirty million. Surprisingly enough they are Massood."

"You mean Tiberious was settled by colonists from the Massood planet?" Commander Tausig asked.

"Yes it was," Clark agreed. "It seems that some two hundred galaxy years ago there was a religious sect called the Rigelians on the Massood planet which held some pretty fundamental doctrines. In fact they were a ghastly caricature or perhaps a better description is a surrealist painting of the worst religious and ideological religious fanatics you can image. The Rigelians clashed with the Massood of all other religions and then when all negotiation failed the Rigelians offered nothing but equal opportunity genocide for all. A brutal world wide war broke out and in the end the Rigelians were defeated but not before millions and millions died. Those Rigelians that survived were exiled to Planet Tiberious. They now exist on Tiberious closely watched by orbital stations under standing orders to obliterate anything more advanced than a steam engine or a black power muzzle loading musket."

"That an incredible story Captain, I see the connection with Ensign Aisha with her being Massood but what is going to be her mission?"

Clark glanced at Tausig, "We can't be sure if the Rigelians even know anything since they have been forced to give up most advanced technology but we need to arrange a meeting with the leadership of the Rigelian descendents and who better to do that than another Massood. At least she won't need a computer translator to talk to them."

At first Commander Tausig couldn't believe his captain would send a raw Ensign to talk to the leaders of a religious cult that were responsible for a war that killed millions on her home planet. "Are you saying what I think you are saying? Do you really think it's wise to send her down to the surface to try to talk sense with such religious fanatics?"

Clark smiled, "Do you really believe that of me?" Clark shook his head, "The Massood observation satellites have confirmed that the Rigelians had a complete change of religious doctrine over seventy galaxy years go. It is surprising but now instead of a Jihad against the universe they have become pacifists."

That surprised Commander Tausig, "Unbelievable! But what do you expect Ensign Aisha to learn from them? With no access to technology a hundred pirate ships could be cruising in the Tiberious system and the Rigelians wouldn't know it."

"Not exactly, see the observational stations are in place to watch if the Rigelians start producing possible weapons technology but they also tell us that the biggest recreational hobby for the Rigelians is passive observational astronomy. If there are pirates in system there is a good chance the Rigelians know about it but with no domestic flight technology can't do any thing about it. Also the pirates might have been doing raids on the Rigelians."

"We need her to go talk to the Rigelians and see what they know while we do a search of the Tiberious system and look for ion trails and any other signs of the two destroyers that disappeared. The Rigelians have gone from blood thirsty religious fanatics to humble, shy pacifists and they are nervous with outsiders. They just don't get a lot of visitors so I think it's a good idea to send someone that looks like them, talks like them to see if they will open up. They might know something valuable that can find the pirates for us or they might know nothing. We just don't know at this moment in time? The Rigelians might not even know what they know. So that is why I am sending Ensign Aisha on this mission."

Commander Tausig gave in to Clark's logic. "Ok, Captain but just do me a favor and let me send a squad of Marines with her to ride shot gun. After all the ancestors of these Rigelians killed millions in civil war on the Massood Planet so lets make sure they really are pacifists before we toss her into the lion's den."

Clark's eyes lit up, "Sure Commander but how about also you do me a favor and make it two squads of Marines. I wouldn't want to lose a junior officer dirtside on her first away mission."

"Aye Captain," Came the reply with a smirk.

On Board the Shuttle Craft with Ensign Aisha and the Marines on route to Planet Tiberious:

Aisha had no idea what her orders were going to be when Captain Clark called her to his ready room. She felt chills run up her spine when he told her she was going to lead and in fact be in command of a independent detachment of armed to the teeth Marines. She and she alone would be acting representative of the Weave initiating first contact protocols with the inhabitants of Planet Tiberious. The fact that the inhabitants of Planet Tiberious were Massood colonists made her the logical choice.

The additional fact that the inhabitants of Planet Tiberious were religious fanatics that had started a civil war two hundred years ago on the Massood Planet that resulted in the deaths of millions didn't seem to enter into anyone's thinking other than her own.

The Massood religious fanatics the Rigelians were still legendary figures of fear and terror on the Massood Planet. Many of the Massood that argued against exile thought the universe would be safer if all Rigelians were simply destroyed. But calmer heads had prevailed and exile was chosen as the solution to the problem of the Rigelians but that didn't mean that Aisha was looking forward to meeting the "boogie men" of her world.

All personal issues aside Aisha did see that there was no turning down any mission that Captain Clark personally ordered; or maybe a better word was when Captain Clark asked her. As she was looking up into the face of Captain Clark always designed to smile easily Aisha knew the reason he had picked her was a reasonable one. She was Massood and he had confidence in her ability. When she saw the respect in his blue eyes she couldn't help but wish she deserved that look from Captain Clark more often.

Now on board the Wolverine's shuttle craft Aisha was more anxious than scared and she tried to relax as the shuttle craft sliced downward through the atmosphere and then steadied its course to the capital of the Rigelians, the city of Xion.

As before when she was in the party that boarded the wreaked merchant ship, once again Sergeant Matino was standing next to her and as usual towering over her, making her feel like she should be playing with dolls rather than playing Fleet officer. Captain Clark had picked two full squads of Sergeant Matino's Marines to escort her on the away mission. Aisha felt slightly ridiculous as a lowly Ensign guarded by no less than twenty seven Marines in full battle armor.

The aerial view of Xion revealed that the city may have been several million in population but its streets were either paved in cobblestones or packed dirt. The landing pad for the shuttle craft wasn't any different and all that high technology capable of space flight settled onto a circular stretch of more or less packed dirt.

A few moments later Aisha was walking down the ramp escorted by a six man fire team of Marines on each flank. A trio of men stepped onto the packed dirt of the landing pad and greeted her in an old dialect of Massood. From the look of them Fleet intelligence had been right. They carried no weapons and spoke only of religious fate and peace to all. Aisha felt not a small measure of relief and accepted their invitation to address their council in a tent that had been pitched close to the pad. Against the protests of Sergeant Matino she decided to address the council on her own as she could tell the armed Marines were making the now pacifist Rigelians nervous. So on her own Aisha stepped into the tent and started the process of information gathering disguised as diplomacy.

On Board Weave Fleet Star Cruiser the SSS Wolverine:

The SSS Wolverine moved slowly out of orbit from the planet of Tiberious. He wasn't in any hurry but Clark decided that as long as Ensign Aisha and the Marines were dirtside on their away mission he might as wall do a survey of the star system and update their astro navigation charts.

Doing a complete survey of the entire Tiberious system would be a good exercise for both astro navigation and his scan teams. The senior scan team of the Kzin twins Sim and Suli were overseeing the efforts of their ensigns to do active scans and then pass the information on to astro navigation so they could update the solar system charts.

"How is the survey going, Sim?" Captain Clark asked, and the Kzin female looked up with her large yellow eyes from a conversation with her ensign.

"Pretty well actually," she replied through two inch canines. "We are not seeing any serious discrepancies but it's pretty obvious that the crew that did the initial survey weren't worried about doing a complete job on such a thinly populated system off the common trade routes."

"What do you mean?" Clark asked.

"Nothing major but there are some minor system bodies that never were logged. Stuff like Planet Tiberious has a secondary moon, which is more like a hunk of rock captured by its gravity. Small stuff but this is a good exercise in scanning especially for my newbies."

"Good but don't get too attached to the inner solar system. After Ensign Aisha and the Marines are finished your scan team is going to get a tough assignment. We are going to the outer solar system to see if you and the scan team can find any ion trails from warp engines that might lead us to the Planetary Pirates."

Sim's eyes immediately glowed yellow as her bat ears twitched and pointed straight back to lay flat on her head. Captain Clark could of course read Kzin body language. Sim was just reacting as any Kzin would to the prospect of a hunt. Clark looked around the bridge at the rest of his crew. They were good but were not the natural born warriors like the Kzin twins. He kind of wished there were more Kzin in his crew than just the Kzin twins so he would feel a little more at home.

Then in the middle of a little day dream about being back with the Crows and having a whole fighter wing of Kzin under his command Sim's question broke into Clark's consciousness.

"Speaking of Aisha Captain Clark, is it true that she left her Marine watch dogs at the shuttle craft and went off to do the negotiations herself?" Sim asked with a slight smile that left all but the tips of her fangs hidden.

"Where did you ever hear that?" Clark responded.

The yellow eyes in the orange fur face just rolled at him as Sim's whiskers twitched.

"I see," Clark snorted, "You know the grapevine on my ship must be made out of fiber optics, given how fast it works. The answer is yes. She left Sergeant Matino and two squads of marines at the shuttle craft and went off. I don't think the Sergeant was too happy about it."

At hearing the potential for some danger Sim's whiskers twitched. "The Sergeant didn't think she was in any danger did he?"

"I don't really think so but Ensign Aisha insisted she do it on her own and you know our Marines even on a planet of nonviolent religious types are never too trusting about any thing. To be honest Sim I got the impression that he just put our Ensign Aisha down as one of those little Ms Sunshine types who thinks the universe is populated with kind helpful souls that live to help out cute ensigns on away missions."

"Aisha?" said Sim as her whiskers twitched again. "She's a Massood and was fighting the Clove in the Tamarrion Valley when she was thirteen."

"We know that Sim but to Sergeant Matino Ensign Aisha is just an impossibly cute girl who is serving as a junior officer on a star ship but still looks thirteen."

Sim tossed her head and smiled, "The Sergeant is a fine marine but he doesn't know Aisha like we do." Sim's eyes narrowed at Clark and she smiled, "Captain why do you keep referring to Aisha as cute?"

This time it was Clark that rolled his eyes at Sim, "Don't go there and I mean it. I am a Captain and Ensign Aisha is a junior officer so give the gossip pipeline a rest. And just for the record I refer to Ensign Aisha as cute because being a third generation prolong longevity drug recipient the truth is she is cute."

Sim softly laughed, "Just don't let her hear that you called her cute. She hates being cute and instead want to be a heroic warrior fighting to free the galaxy from the forces of darkness."

"Dually noted scan officer," Clark said with a smile. Then he sighed, "The truth is Sim we are all heroic warriors fighting to free the galaxy," Clark's voice started to drop off, "Even if some of us would rather be plowing a field on a farm in Smallville…..."

"Hyper footprint!" The second Kzin twin barked out from scan." Suli's voice was crisp and full of anticipation. "It's two ships Captain, bearing zero-three-four by zero-one-niner!"

Sim quickly slipped into her station while Clark wheeled around and crossed quickly to the command chair at the center of the bridge and hit the controls that deployed his tactical screen.

"What do you think Scan?" Clark asked.

"Captain, the hyper footprint indicates it's a big mass. The mass reading says the contact has to be least star cruisers." Suli adjusted her scan board, "It's clearer now; I confirm that each of contacts is at least our size." Suli turned to Clark, "Captain unless they are as noble, virtuous and as above board as us I suppose they might be nasty old pirates..." Then her twin Kzin Sim completed her thought, "but they only think they are pirates; what they really are, is prey."

The heads of the bridge crew jerked around at the Kzin female's comment. The regular crew was still not at all comfortable hearing out loud the Kzin's love of battle. Clark studied his tactical screen. The pair of strange star cruisers were off the star board bow of the Wolverine out at a distance of just over sixteen light-minutes.

"The same thought occurred to me," said Clark as he smiled at the Kzin twins, "That they are both pirates and prey." Clark's voice went up a notch in volume as he gave his next orders over the speaker system to everyone on the Wolverine. "Crew to Battle Stations and prepare to engage the enemy."

On the Shuttle Craft with Aisha's Away Mission:

Ensign Aisha leaned back in the wrap around chair in the shuttle and studied on the hologram viewer the highlights of her diplomatic meeting with the Rigelians. They had been surprised to see a Massood in a Weave fleet uniform greet them but after a guarded start had warmed up to her. The Rigelians told her that their astronomy clubs had noticed movement for several weeks in the Tiberious system. And then when the merchant ship Sweet Delight came in system yesterday and communicated they were in the system and on route to Tiberious when the merchant ship failed to arrive the Rigelians feared for the worse. Those worst fears were confirmed when they got the same mayday message the Wolverine received that pirates were boarding the Sweet Delight.

Aisha leaned back into her chair in the cockpit as the shuttle left behind the indigo color of Planet Tiberious's stratosphere and slipped into the blackness of space. She didn't see the Wolverines inviting bulk in high orbit and quickly looked over at the scan screens.

"They aren't there, Ensign" the pilot confirmed. "I heard they were thinking of doing a complete system survey so I expect the Captain decided to get started early. We will have the Wolverine's position in a few minutes and then head out to rendezvous with them.

Then as if on cue a message to the shuttle craft came in from the Wolverine. "Ensign the Captain is on the com. He wants to speak with you."

For some reason Aisha felt she wasn't going to like what she was about to hear and as usual her gut was right."

"……so for right now I want you to stay in system at Tiberious. I know you want to be here but we are already accelerating away and your shuttle craft won't be able to catch us. The Wolverine will return to collect you and your people after we investigate this contact. They are not answering hails and are maintaining their course outside the hyper limit which is unusual enough to make me suspicious. Also they are not trying to hide so if they are pirates they have something here that's important enough for them to risk taking on a Weave star cruiser. And if they decide to fight a star cruiser they won't hesitate to go after a shuttle craft. Exercise you own discretion and try your best to keep the Rigelians from becoming a target. There are thirty million religious pacifists on that planet and we have to avoid getting them scorched at all costs."

Aisha watched Captain Clark's face on the communications screen. He looked calm and confident despite the fact that the Kzin twins, the best scan techs in Fleet, confirmed that both of the incoming hyper signatures belonged to something at least the size of star cruisers.

"Understood Captain," Aisha told him trying to sound as confident as her Captain. She waited for the light speed transmission delay until Clark nodded at her and said, "Kent, clear." Suddenly Aisha felt kind of lonely.

Aisha made her way back to the Marine's compartment. Sergeant Matino looked up at her and she quickly filled him in.

The Sergeant considered her story with neutral eyes, ""What do you think of the possibility of something unexpected?"

Aisha answered, "There are two of the strange ships that we know of and a star system represents a very large volume of very empty space. We don't have a system wide surveillance net in place so there could be more hidden ships out there. I just want to be ready if a surprise comes up."

"What sort of preparations did you have in mind?" Sergeant Matino asked after a brief pause.

"The Captain asked us not to involve the Rigelians in any way. We are going to stay in orbit for now but if need be we will set down on the other side of the planet. If there are other pirates they won't have any trouble tracking the shuttle so in a worst case scenario we will abandon the shuttle and seek to evade any pirate's groundside until the Wolverine can return to pick us up. She won't be gone for long since the contacts are in system" Aisha with an earnest smile continued, "Get your marines organized with the survival gear broken up into man portable packs in case we do have to abandon."

The Sergeant just returned her smile with a grim one of his own, "I'm on it."

On Board Weave Fleet Star Cruiser the SSS Wolverine:

"They still aren't answering hails," Communications reported. Before Clark could acknowledge Suli at her scan station interrupted, "We don't need to ask the again, they just turned on their identification beacons. They are two Clove battle cruisers, the Typhoon and the Cyclone. They went pirate after being cut off from Clove space. The closer one is the Typhoon. The one farther away is the Cyclone. The Cyclone is the same pirate ship that had boarded the Sweet Delight when we jumped into the system. I recognize the signature of their wedge drive; definitely they are the planetary pirates."

Someone asked out loud, "Why did they come back?"

The Kzin twin Sim answered the question, "Because the Cyclone was scared to take us on alone so went to get a friend."

For most of the crew the bridge suddenly felt a little chilly but when they turned to their Captain he was smiling at the Kzin twins. "You two should be happy; it means there is more prey."

The Kzin twins just growled and even knowing they were outnumbered Clark's humor brought smiles and a few chuckles to everyone as confidence returned to the bridge.

Clark rocked slightly on the balls of his feet, eyes focused on his tactical screen as he thought hard. Then it came to him. "Communications when you hailed the Clove ships you identified us and told them who was in command; correct?"

Communications sounded a little surprised at the question, "Yes sir, we informed them you were in command and requested their identification and status according to procedure."

After seventy galaxy years in continuous war Clark wasn't one for false modesty. He knew exactly what the other side thought of him. So the Planetary pirates knew a son of Krypton, the famed Clark Kent commander of the Crows was on the bridge of the Wolverine and they were still coming. Out of the corner of his eye Clark saw Suli and Sim's whiskers twitch and their ears fold flat against their heads and he knew the three of them had reached the same conclusion. There is no way two Clove star cruisers would be rushing to engage Captain Clark Kent unless they were setting a trap.

"Scan, a nasty thought just occurred to me. These Planetary Pirates are a little too anxious about looking for a fight. Sim, I want an immediate full scan sweep behind us. I know they have us two to one but still the odds are tight for them to seek a fight. I have a feeling there is someone creeping up our back while these two ahead put on the show. I know their stealth technology is good but do the best you can."

The Wolverine kept closing on the bait of the pirate ships Typhoon and Cyclone while Sim worked her scan sweep aft of the Wolverine looking for the knife meant for their back in the form of a third pirate star cruiser in stealth mode. Only the Kzin twins were skillful enough at scan to be able to find the trap. A few minutes later Sim called out, "Captain, your right, there is another pirate ship hiding behind us."

Clark frowned ever so slightly as his tactical screen updated with the result of Sim's scan of the Wolverine's six o'clock. While Clark was busy with the Typhoon and the Cyclone the stealth pirate cruiser creeping up on the Wolverines aft was looking to get in close enough to do the deadly "up the skirt" shot. One on one Clark would have bet the galaxy on the Wolverine coming out on top. He had the experience, the ship and the crew so even two on one Clark knew the odds were in his favor in a head to head fight. The problem was three to one with two ahead and one hiding behind the margin of superiority was looking a lot thinner than it did a few minutes ago.

As he considered the situation Clark had seen fatter chances die of starvation. The two pirate cruisers ahead of him had been at first cautious, maneuvering along the outside arc of the hyper limit letting him in the Wolverine gradually close the range. The discovery of the pirate cruiser behind him explained that caution. The pirates ahead of him, the Typhoon and Cyclone were there not to engage him but draw Clark's ship into a position that would allow the pirate ship behind him to creep up under stealth and once in close directly astern of him to fire all their forward chaser missile pods directly into the aft of the Wolverine in a deadly "up the skirt" shot.

Now that the pirate ship behind was almost into position, the pirate ships Typhoon and Cyclone in front of him had changed their own course vectors to head directly toward him.

"Things appear to be getting a little complicated but still good," Clark observed mildly into the silently roaring tension of his bridge crew.

The Wolverine's astro navigation officer couldn't help herself and before she realized it she said out loud to the entire bridge. "Good? There are two ahead and one behind. What's good about it?"

Clark with only a trace of a smile playing around the corners of him mouth answered her. "They have us surrounded. So this time the pirates won't be escaping by running away."

Except for the Kzin twins the entire bridge felt their jaws hit the deck in disbelief. Clark just stared his surprised bridge crew down while looking like the epitome of a Captain in command of not just the Wolverine but destiny itself.

After a moment he turned and then Clark asked Suli about the two pirate ships in front of the Wolverine, "How are the targeting solutions looking for the Typhoon and Cyclone?"

"Not as good as I would like just yet," Suli replied honestly. "I mean the Typhoon is out front so I am more confident with it but the Cyclone is still on the outer rim of our missile envelope.

A chill wind seemed to blow onto the bridge and the already palpable tension predictably ratcheted higher.

Clark barked an order at astro navigation. "How far is the run to the hyper limit at constant acceleration and current course heading?"

"Approximately ten minutes, Sir."

"See if you can find a vector course that can shorted that?"

The Astro Navigation officer punched new acceleration values and course vectors into the running navigation plot computer and then looked up. "Change heading seventeen degrees to port and go to max military power on the wedge drive and we can cut three minutes off the run to the hyper limit."

"Understood, thank you Astro Navigation." It seemed to the Wolverine's bridge crew that a small eternity passed but it was actually only a few seconds before Captain Clark Kent made his decision.

"Helm, when I give the order put us on Astro Navigation's course vector for the hyper limit."

"Aye, aye, Captain," the helmsman said tautly.

"Suli, the instant we change to the new course vector I want to fire all forward chaser missile tubes at the Typhoon. When we turn and come onto the new course I want an immediate full broadside of missiles again at the Typhoon. Keeping hitting the Typhoon with broadsides as we run for the hyper limit. Hit him hard because I have a feeling that any of the pirates that can are going to follow us right across the hyper limit."

"Aye, Aye, Sir?" Suli acknowledged with a flash of her fangs. As a Kzin Suli sometimes missed the smell of guts ripped open and the taste of blood but then having Clark's orders to unload continuously full broadsides of missiles and energy mount weapons against the Planetary Pirates did help make up for the lack of hand to hand combat in space.

"Everyone hang on, Helm: Execute!"

The Wolverine swung hard to port and redlined the wedge drives as the star cruiser started its dash for the hyper limit.

On Board the Pirate Ship Typhoon:

"What the hell is that?"

The pirate captain started in disbelief as his tactical screens showed the Wolverine had fired all its forward chase missiles at his ship. He was even more surprised when a moment later the Wolverine unloaded a full broadside and no less than forty missiles suddenly came roaring towards the Typhoon.

"Tactical! Bring our electronic warfare up and laser counter measures! And open fire on that Krypton son of a bitch!"

On Board Weave Fleet Star Cruiser the SSS Wolverine:

"Their electronic warfare and laser defense just came up, Captain," call out Scan and Clark nodded at Sim and Suli.

For Clark's broadside of missiles, their target, the pirate ship Typhoon faded into a fuzzy ball of electronic jamming and fiendishly effective decoys came to light on their tethering tractor beams as all of the pirate ship's defenses tried to coax the Wolverine's missiles off their target. Clark's missile attack didn't lose targeting lock completely but that lock became loser and more tentative. At least half of the missiles veered off to target the Typhoon's decoys. For the rest the Typhoon faded in and out of targeting lock as the electronic jammers tried to break the missiles targeting link to the pirate ship.

However good the pirate's electronic warfare defense was they couldn't match the Wolverine when it came to putting missiles into action. The Typhoon was only able to match Clark's full broadside with a dozen missiles fired from their forward chasers.

The Wolverine's missiles were already racing through space when the Typhoon returned fire. Moments later the pirate ship Cyclone which was further away than the Typhoon also fired at what must be the extreme of their missile range. The two pirate ships had fired only a dozen missiles between them. Clearly these missiles came only from the pirate ships forward chaser tubes which suggested the Clark the pirates couldn't match the Wolverine's off bore capability.

But that was the only good news and Clark watched as the Wolverine's own electronic warfare defense, decoys and laser counter measures engaged the incoming pirate missiles. Suli was handling incoming missile point defense. She managed to ward off most of the pirate missiles but two evaded no fewer than three counter missiles (like US military patriot missiles). But them Suli nailed them with last ditch laser counter measure clusters before the incoming missiles were able to reach X ray laser head range. Clark was actually uncomfortably surprised that two of the pirate missiles got that close from such a small salvo. The pirate ship Typhoon would not be so lucky.

"Three hits on the Typhoon," sang out Sim from Scan. Which Clark told himself wasn't anything to write home about coming out of a forty eight missile salvo from all forward chaser tubes and a full broadside. Still it was better than the pirates had done without even the paint smuggled on the Wolverine.

On Board the Pirate Ship Typhoon:

The Typhoon bucked and damage alarms shrilled into life as the three X-ray laser warheads slammed into the pirate ship. The sidewall shield armor buckled and then shattered under the ferocious power of the X-ray lasers. Four laser counter measure clusters blew apart and the X-ray lasers continued to drive deep into the Typhoon. Missile battery three and four of the forward chasers were ripped open and the forty pirates manning them spilled into open space to their doom.

The pirate captain watching his damage control screens felt a deep panicky stab of dread as he thought of the son of Krypton still coming straight at him. Then the damage to his ship was forgotten as the change of course of the Wolverine registered. The Wolverine was not coming at him but had turned to make a run to the hyper limit. In the Wolverine's position the pirate captain would have been trying to avoid action from the very beginning against two to one odds but that wasn't the usual way the son of Krypton handled pirates. Now, however…. "The son of Krypton is running, the bastard is running," he said to his weapons control officer.

"Maybe so but he is also hammering us a lot harder than we are hammering him!" The pirate captain's first officer shot back.

The pirate captain bristled for a moment. His first officer was always trying to second guess him. If he hadn't been so competent the pirate captain would have spaced him months ago.

"Bring us hard to starboard! Put us on a course as close to parallel with the son of Krypton as you can. Now we are going to bring our broadsides into action."

On Board Weave Fleet Star Cruiser the SSS Wolverine:

"The Typhoon is changing it's course heading so they can bring their broadsides to bear on us, Captain" Sim reported as the Wolverine's third broadside blasted from her missile tubes toward the pirate ship.

"Not surprising at all," Clark replied in a calm cool voice. "It's the only thing the pirates can do really. But the Typhoon is not going to be able to find any heading that will help them follow us across the hyper wall."

Sim's tactical assistant started to disagree but then fell silent after a short growl from the Kzin. Clark just smiled at the junior officer as he filled her in, "I know their current heading will bring them to the hyper wall under normal circumstances but not this time. They will be in pieces before they get to the wall."

Clark confirmed Sim's orders, "Stay with the Typhoon. We will deal with the Typhoon here and later with the Cyclone and the pirate ship in stealth behind us when they follow us across the hyper wall."

Suli intensely focused on her defensive tactical screens. Her huge yellow eyes flicked across the display noting the incoming pirate missiles shifting vectors and the fire patterns. Deep in concentration she let out a soft growl of partial satisfaction. The pirate ships Typhoon and Cycle were firing full broadsides now. This made the electronic warfare penetration aids of the pirate's attacking missiles even harder to compensate for as the number of incoming missiles increased. However Suli was sure that she had a better idea of the incoming threat than the pirates had of the broadside's the Wolverine had fired at the Typhoon. As far as Suli could see the pirate's electronic warfare defense was slow. However effective their decoys might be the pirates were slower to adapt their emissions than the Wolverine's decoys.

Suli was handling defense while Sim did attack but they always kept an eye on each other's duties in case one of them became a casualty the other could take over in a few seconds. The pirates were slow but Sim quickly analyzed the targeting info coming back from their broadside already in mid flight to the pirate ship. She quickly updated the broadside's missile salvo's attack profiles as Suli broke up another of the pirate's incoming missile attack outside of the X-ray laser warhead range.

On Board the Pirate Ship Typhoon:

"Yes!" the pirate captain pounded jubilantly on the arm of his command chair and the hungry cry of triumph rippled around the Typhoon's bridge as two of their X-ray laser warhead missiles finally made it thought the Wolverine's decoys and laser point defense. The Wolverine's sidewall shields had intercepted them, blending and blunting the cutting power of the X-ray lasers and it was unlikely they'd inflicted heavily damage but it was a start and more of the pirate's missiles were already in space.

The pirate captain knew his ship had taken heavy damage but soon the two pirate ships Hurricane and Tsunami in stealth mode behind the Wolverine would be in a position to fire and thus spring the trap.

"Start feeding data on the Wolverine's jamming frequencies to the Hurricane and Tsunami. If they can get their missiles programmed to counter the son of Krypton's electronic warfare defense from the moment they reveal their position we can destroy the Wolverine in their first missile salvo.

As the attack data went out to the pirate ships Hurricane and Tsunami hiding behind Clark's ship the Typhoon's Damage Control reported to the pirate captain. Then the voice from Damage Control was chopped off in mid word and the pirate captain's hungry smile vanished as the Typhoon heaved madly. He clung to his command chair's arms on the bucking bridge and his face was ashen as the Typhoon's alarms screamed and the lights on the bridge flickered. At least five missiles from the son of Krypton's last salvo had gotten through and he did not need any more panicky reports from Damage Control to know the Typhoon had been badly hurt.

"Our acceleration is dropping!" the helmsman reported to the pirate captain. He took a quick look at his own displays. Of course the Typhoon's acceleration was dropping, that goddamned son of Krypton had just blown four nodes out of their wedge drive.

"I've lost contact with missile batteries five, six, seven, eleven and thirteen," the pirate tactical officer reported. "Missile defense three, four, seven and nine don't respond either. And the whole port decoys are gone!" Then he screamed at the pirate captain, "There is still a whole broadside in space coming in on us!"

"Roll hard port!" The pirate captain yelled. He knew if he didn't get the severely damaged side of the Typhoon turned away from the Wolverine they were going to end up another pirate scalp on the belt of that dammed son of Krypton."

On Board Weave Fleet Star Cruiser the SSS Wolverine:

"Good hits on the Typhoon!" Sim announced jubilantly. "Their wedge drive strength is dropping along with their acceleration."

"Good shooting, Tactical!" Clark replied, even as he watched Suli direct the Wolverine's defensive fire to annihilate an entire incoming broadside well short of X-ray laser war head attack range. Clark could see the pirate ship was bleeding air into open space and trailing debris in its wake and the Typhoon's broadside fire seemed to have dropped off. A few moments' later Clark saw the Typhoon start to roll to snatch her damaged flank away from the Wolverine's broadside. But it looked like the pirate captain had left it too late to evade the Wolverine's follow up missile salvo.

The Wolverine's missiles raced down upon their target and when they detonated their warheads the powerful directional X-ray lasers ripped deep into the Typhoon shattering bulkheads and opening compartments like knives. The pirate crew was smashed and mangled as the Typhoon's own missile tube mass drives arced madly as their capacitor rings shorted and the ship's living atmosphere gushed into space from brutal wounds.

The pirate ship Typhoon heaved sideways and then as the last hit from the Wolverine's broadside came in the Wedge and Warp drive engines exploded in a cataclysmic fury. Whether any of the pirate crew were still alive when the savage torquing effect on the Typhoon's hull snapped her back scarcely mattered.

Spontaneous cheers rang out across the bridge of the Wolverine. One down and two to go. Clark felt he now had a reasonable tactical position. The Cyclone in front of him would slide by after he reached the hyper limit. It would take time for the Cyclone to turn and come after him while for the pirate cruiser behind him in stealth it would be able to follow him immediately across the hyper limit. Thus with a little luck the two pirate ships would come across separately where he could fight them one at a time. With the destruction of the Typhoon his tactical position was secure.

Of course what Clark didn't know was that there were two not one pirate ships behind him in stealth. And both would be able to follow him across the hyper wall together.

"Time to hyper limit?" Clark demanded.

"Four minutes, Sir" came back the response.

"Communications, record a transmission for Ensign Aisha and the away mission," Clark commanded.

"Standing by, Sir, Ok."

"Message beg…"

"Incoming missile attack!" screamed Suli. "Missiles in acquisition bearing one seven five! Impact in one five zero seconds!"

Clark's eyes snapped back to his tactical display as the fresh and completely unexpected attack came roaring in from astern in a deadly "up the skirt" shot. It couldn't be the pirate ship in stealth behind him. That pirate ship was still too far away and it couldn't have unleashed an attack on that bearing! The only answer could be there was a fourth pirate ship in the system and they'd missed her completely!"

There was only one chance. "Stern wall!" Clark barked out. "Get it up now!"

For Clark it was like the Typhoon's spectacular destruction never happened. It was already forgotten as the twenty plus missiles raced straight for the Wolverines aft end on the deadly "up the skirt" attack vector.

Behind the mask of confidence Clark kept on his features he cursed himself for not having found the pirate ship that had just fired. He knew intellectually that the Kzin twins had done extraordinarily well just to spot the single ship behind him given the effectiveness of the Clove's stealth technology but it was no comfort at all as he watched the pirate's missiles come.

The Wolverine's acceleration dropped abruptly to zero as they drained power from all systems to direct it to getting up the stern wall. It was a fight against time. The pirate missiles closing the distance with every second and it took time for the stern wall to come up and time was in short supply.

The pirate captain on the Cyclone starred in horror at the broken lifeless wreckage which a few minutes before had been fellow pirate ship the Typhoon. The sheer blinding speed with which the Typhoon had been transformed into so much splintered rubble stunned him. It also terrified him because he knew who next would become the target of the son of Krypton's broadsides. He almost gave the order to the helmsman to turn off the attack vector but before he could say anything the missiles from the pirate ship Tsunami hiding behind Clark's ship exploded dead on the Wolverine's stern.

The Wolverine buckled in agony as the incoming directional X-ray lasers unleashed by the detonating by the pirate missile's warheads rushed into the Stern wall. The Wolverines aft laser point defense had taken out twelve of the twenty two missile salvo despite the surprise of their launch from the stealth pirate ship Tsunami. Four more missiles were sucked off the Wolverine by her electronic warfare decoys. But the remaining laser warhead missiles ran straight into their target and powerful direction X-ray lasers screamed into the Wolverine.

If it was not for her stern wall providing partial shielding the Wolverine would have died then and there. Even with the stern wall at 60 power the damage was terrible. The stern wall had been still spinning up to full power when the X-ray lasers came slashing in. The stern wall could bend and bleed off some of the destructive power but it couldn't stop them. Damage alarms started to shriek on the Wolverine.

"We have lost the entire aft wedge drive impeller nodes!" barked out Damage Control. "Energy mount guns three five six and eight are gone. Along with at least half of the aft laser counter measures. There is no response from environmental one, three, four and shuttle bay one and two have lost their force fields and are fully exposed to open space."

Clark's jaw tightened. The order to quickly raise the stern wall when they first spotted the surprise missile attack saved them but also cut the Wolverine's acceleration to zero when it closed off the aft aspect of the wedge drives. He needed the aft wedge drive up to continue his run for the hyper limit but with half of his aft laser counter measures gone he couldn't lower the stern wall. Clark needed to get the Wolverine's damaged stern away from the previously undetected pirate ship Tsunami so he could lower the stern wall and continue his run to the hyper limit. There was no way to do that with half the aft laser counter measures down and the pirate ship Tsunami still in hiding.

"If we drop the stern wall how soon before we can get the wedge drive back on line?" Clark asked Damage Control sharply.

"I can't say for certain, Sir, the Damage Control engineer replied. He was hammering away at his keyboard even as he answered Clark with his eyes locked to the scrolling diagnostic reports.

"I don't like to rush my engineers," Clark replied, "but survival not just victory depends on getting the aft wedge drive back on line." Clark gave the panicky engineer a look of total confidence pulling the man back from the edge by shear force of personality.

For the engineer suddenly all was right in the world, even a world gone as mad as the Wolverine hit with six missiles up her skirt with only half a stern wall as defense.

"I'm on it, Captain," he promised and in the midst of the mayhem the Clark gave direct clear orders pulling the skittish crew together to face the challenge of a severely damaged ship with three pirate cruisers bearing down on them for the kill.

Clark looked over the helm. "Ten degrees starboard and pitch us up fifteen degrees."

Next stop was Scan, "We need to find this unknown pirate ship astern of us."

As expected the Kzin twins were more excited that startled by the surprise pirate missile salvo. "We will have him in a moment," Suli called out, "We have a good fix on the missiles launch vectors. The Clove's stealth technology is good but not good enough to hide when we know where to look for them."

Clark winked at her and with a quick snarl in answer Suli turned back to her screens.

Clark called out to Astro Navigation, "Astro, recomputed our course vector to the hyper wall to reflect my last orders to helm." Then as if to do nothing else but confirm to the engineer his confidence that Damage Control would get the aft wedge drive back on line Clark gave his orders for after they crossed the hyper wall. "I want a random course change Astro Navigation as soon as we cross the wall into hyper space."

"Tactical, forget about the Cyclone ahead of us. She will slide past us and most likely stay in system to go into orbit around planet Tiberious. It's the two pirate ships behind us that will follow us across the wall. They have to chase us down and try to destroy us to protect the secret that their base of operations is out of the Tiberious system."

Astro Navigation acknowledged the request for the new course to the hyper wall, "Aye aye Sir I am recomputing now."

With a small roar of triumph Suli called out, "We have local and ID on the stealth pirate ships behind us. They are two Clove star cruisers the Hurricane and the Tsunami. The Tsunami is the one that fired missile salvo that hit us."

Clark smiled, "Great work, now get firing solutions for both of them. We will start hitting them as soon as Damage Control gets our wedge drive back on line." Suli's eyes glowed yellow and she flashed her long white fangs, "Good orders!"

"Now it's your turn Communications," Clark turned his attention to the communications officer with a warm smile like he was sending a Christmas card. "I believe we were about to record a transmission for Ensign Aisha and our Marines on the away mission."

On the Shuttle Craft with Aisha's Away Mission:

Aisha started at Captain Clark Kent's impossibly composed face on the communication screen in something that wasn't disbelief simply because her shock was too deep for her to feel anything yet. She could hear the sounds of combat and the whine of damage control alarms behind him as he outlined the situation in the level tones of galaxy standard language spoken with his unique Smallville accent.

"………….so things are just a little tight up here, Ensign. We have destroyed one Pirate ship but two are in position behind us to follow us across the hyper wall. If they are foolish enough to come through separated we should be able to take them. Of course if they stay concentrated together it is going to be a little dicier. Either way, the Wolverine will be back to pick up you and your people as soon as possible.

"In the meantime be advised that at least one pirate ship the Cyclone is going to be unable to follow us. The Cyclone is the pirate ship that bordered the Sweet Delight. Remember what pirates on the Cyclone did to the crew of the Sweet Delight. Avoid capture at all costs.

"Since the pirates chose to come back to the Tiberious system and engage us when they didn't have to I am assuming they have something here like a base of operations that they don't want to lose. Thus I would anticipate that the pirate ship Cyclone which can't follow us across the hyper wall will come looking for you.

"I can't advise you on the best course of action from out here so you and your Marines are on your own until we can get back. Evade the planetary pirates any way you can but avoid contact with the Rigelians at all costs. The pirates will know we spoke with the Rigelians so will be planning to deal with them after they deal with us. So for now stay away from population centers. Our job here is to protect religious pacifists; not set up thirty million people to get scorched.

"Remember what you learned fighting in the Valley of Tamarrion. I have complete confidence in you. Good luck Ensign Aisha. Captain Clark Kent clear."

The screen went blank and Aisha inhaled deeply. It felt like the first breath she had taken in an hour. She stood up and in a few moments her brain after a fashion began to work but she was still scared. Captain Clark's communication transmission was over fifteen minutes old because the shuttle craft had no ability to receive 'faster than light' communications. Which meant it was entirely possible that Captain Clark and the Wolverine's entire crew were already dead.

No. Aisha knew she couldn't think that way and pushed the negative thought firmly aside. If the Captain and her crewmates were all dead then nothing she or the Marines could do to evade the Planetary Pirates could succeed in the end. But if they were still alive and she allowed the possibility of their death to paralyze her then whatever slim chance of survival the away team had would disappear.

Aisha squared her shoulders and turned around to see the towering figure of Sergeant Matino in front of her.

"You heard Sergeant?" she asked the giant Marine.

"Yes Ma'am, guess it's going to get a little lonely around here," the Sergeant answered with a rough smile, "What are your orders?"

Aisha thought about a pirate star cruiser chasing a shuttle craft in space and took less than two seconds to make a decision. "Tiberious has some pretty rough terrain so we will try to evade the pirates from the surface."

"Are you sure about this, Ma'am?" Sergeant Matino asked quietly and Aisha gave him back a sour smile. The Sergeant did appear to be less than overwhelmed with her plan to hide from the Planetary Pirates on the surface of Planet Tiberious. "It's just – no offence but what you're talking about doing would be hard enough if we were all trained Marines."

Aisha inwardly rolled her eyes. "I'm aware that Fleet Officers are not trained in planetary evasion and concealment tactics the way Marines are, Sergeant. And if there was another choice I would take it, believe me. But you are just going to have to take my word for it there is no way this shuttle craft could possibly avoid detection, interception and destruction if we try to stay in space. The Pirate ship Cyclone is a star cruiser so could run us down without too much trouble, and it's not as if we could hide from her scans in clear space. Not to mention the fact that the Cyclone has over a dozen shuttles of her own to deploy to come after us. So the way I see it, that leaves only the surface of Planet Tiberious.

"Ok Ma'am," Sergeant Matino said without a whole lot of enthusiasm. Aisha suspected the Sergeant remained somewhat short of total confidence in her leadership ability but he couldn't avoid the force of her argument either. Then the Sergeant must have read something in the small ensign so added, "I wouldn't worry."

Aisha raised an eyebrow, "About what?"

The Sergeant answered, "He'll be back. Don't forget the Wolverine has Clark Kent in command. If anything it's those two pirate cruisers that followed him across the hyper wall that are in trouble."

Aisha softly said, "I wouldn't doubt it Sergeant but it's just that he might be a little too late."

Sergeant Matino answered with a parade ground Marine's smile, "Then the Captain will avenge us. Either way the pirates on the Cyclone coming after us are walking dead men."

"Good to know, Sergeant," she said and Aisha was genuinely grateful for his attempt to bolster confidence and put a positive spin on their predicament. Even though Aisha was sure Sergeant Matino understood how slender their chances actually were against any determined orbital and aerial search for them dirtside.

"It's time we tell the others Sergeant and then we better do an inventory of the survival supplies and get ready to go."

"Yes Ma'am." The sergeant's huge form disappeared through the entrance to the cockpit heading back to the Marine's compartment.

Aisha looked up through the transparent canopy of the cockpit to the stars. Some where out there a single damaged Weave star cruiser was surrounded by pinpricks of nuclear fire flashing in the stars as it fought desperately against two undamaged pirate ships in defense of thirty million souls on Planet Tiberious.

It was the universe's turn to hold it's breath.

To be continued as Part 49: Captain Clark Kent & Ensign Aisha vs. the Planetary Pirates: Blood Sport!


	53. A Call To Arms Part 49

Part 49: Captain Clark Kent & Ensign Aisha vs. the Planetary Pirates: Blood Sport!

Aisha wished for the tenth time for some caned flying routines on file as she worked at reprogramming the auto pilot on the shuttle craft. If her idea worked to decoy the shuttle craft there was a chance that the planetary pirates would never come dirtside looking for them. She was still working hard when Sergeant Matino came into the shuttle cockpit to report all the survival supplies were broken out and distributed among the marines.

"All right Sergeant. Once we are down on the surface I am going to be relying on your expertise in evasion and concealment. Don't hesitate to offer me any suggestion that occurs to you. I know what I want to do but this isn't an area I am formally trained in to know how to do it. I do have some personal experience but it was before I entered the Fleet Academy and I was just a battle field messenger, not an officer."

Sergeant Matino's eyes narrowed, "Ma'am before we bordered the Sweet Delight you said you had combat experience, was that dirt side combat experience?"

Aisha looked at the Sergeant with her face taunt. "It was a long time ago Sergeant, back on the Massood planet in the Valley of Tamarrion."

The Sergeant tried to keep the look of surprise off his face. The battle of the Valley of Tamarrion was legendary in Fleet. The Crows led by Clark Kent had rolled up a small army of Clove that were lying in ambush for a battalion of Massood. The stories were that it had been a meat grinder of a battle. The events of the battle had added to the legend that was Clark Kent, Whitney Fordman and the Crows.

Aisha kept the smile off her face. "It was a long time ago Sergeant and I was just a battle field messenger, not an officer." She then wistfully looked up to the sky, "But I do remember what it was like to have lost all hope just before the Crows appeared to save us."

Sergeant Matino smiled, "Maybe history will repeat itself here on Tiberious."

"Let's hope so Sergeant, let's hope so."

On Board the Pirate Ship Cyclone:

The pirate captain doubted if the Wolverine had taken the time to send any sort of warning to the shuttle craft. The son of Krypton would have had other things on his mind when he realized both the Tsunami and Hurricane were in ambush and pursuit position behind him.

So here was the pirate star cruiser Cyclone looking for a single shuttle craft. This mission was rather like sending a saber tooth tiger to hunt down a particularly vicious mouse.

"Anything?" he asked his scan officer.

"Not yet, I doubt if they are going to be hanging around in orbit."

"Ya, so where would you hide?"

"Tiberious has two moons," the scan officer pointed out, "Well one real moon and a hunk of rock. I'd probably look for a nice crater on one of them or find a nice deep valley on the planet. I sure wouldn't hang around in space."

"Makes sense to me," the pirate captain acknowledged, "but check orbit first before we start looking on the moons or dirtside."

The Cyclone slowed killing the last of her motion relative to planet Tiberious as the pirate ship went into high orbit. The Cyclone's active sensors began a systematic search for any other artificial object in orbit around Tiberious.

It didn't take the pirates long to find one.

The shuttle craft was parked in high orbit under the preprogrammed control of its auto pilot which recognized the lash of the pirate ship's scan when it felt it. And when it did, the other programs Aisha put in place activated. The shuttles wedge drive kicked into life and slammed it instantly forward at its maximum acceleration darting away from the planet in a panicky bit to escape.

It was futile and the shuttle had scarcely left orbit when the Cyclone's weapons targeting control locked onto it. The pirates didn't even bother to hail the shuttle craft to surrender. They just locked on with an energy mount laser and fired.

There was no wreckage.

"Well that was straight forward," the pirate captain said with an air of satisfaction at the easy kill.

"Yeah," the scan officer agreed. "Still it seems pretty stupid of them."

"What did you expect? They had just seen a heavily damaged Wolverine abandon them and haul ass out of the system with two of our undamaged ships in full pursuit. They just panicked."

"If you say so," the scan officer slowly said.

The pirate captain didn't want to take the time to check dirtside but instead wanted to get started with scorching the Rigelains. It took time to kill thirty million people even with a star cruiser but then decided better safe than sorry. "Ok break out the assault shuttles and let's do a sweep of the planet and make sure there is nothing down there to kill but unarmed religious pacifists."

On the Surface of Planet Tiberious with Aisha and the Marines:

"They didn't buy it Sergeant," Aisha announced quietly as she watched the display of the small remote scan.

Sergeant Matino tried to put a positive spin on the failure. "Chances are they are half convinced they got us. At least it is going to generate a little uncertainty which is worthwhile all by itself."

Aisha wasn't feeling too positive, "But whether they figure they killed us with the shuttle craft or not it looks like they're going to look down here dirtside until they are sure, one way or the other."

Aisha, five other fleet personnel and the twenty seven Marines were hiding in a narrow rocky valley on the opposite side of planet Tiberious from the population centers of the Rigelian religious pacifists. Sergeant Matino and his marines had rigged thermal blankets for over head cover against the heat sensors.

Unfortunately they had only fifteen blankets which weren't enough to provide comer for all of them even with some doubling up. Worse still they hadn't been able to hid power sources like their weapons and the long range portable communicators. They had done their best to put solid rock between any power sources and pirate scan sensors but there was only so much they could hide.

On Board Weave Fleet Star Cruiser the SSS Wolverine in Open Space:

The pirate missile salvo came screaming in at the Wolverine. Clark's counter missiles took out eleven while the starboard tethered decoy sucked off two more. The port decoy had been destroyed two pirate broadsides ago—or was it three?

Captain Clark Kent had no time to think about it as he snapped orders. "Starboard ninety! Get her nose up Helm! Stand her on her toes!"

Helm pushed the Wolverine into a hard skew turn and her bow pitched up at the same time. Clark's ship withered to starboard clawing her way upward, trying to wench her vulnerable port side away from the pirate ship Tsunami but the incoming pirate missiles chased after the wounded Wolverine.

The Wolverine's laser counter measures point defense swiveled and tracked the incoming pirate missile salvo and spitting red beams of burning light shattered one, two and finally a third pirate missile but the others were still coming. Laser point defense stopped one more missile and then the other four exploded.

Deadly bomb pumped X-ray lasers slashed out stabbing like white hot needles. The Wolverine bucked and heaved indescribably. Damage alarms shrieked and Clark felt the concussive shocks of failing structural braces as the X-ray lasers blasted against and then through the Wolverines sidewall shields.

"Missile tubes nine eleven, and fourteen destroyed! Heavy damage frames six, seven and nine aft! Laser point defense clusters three six and seven destroyed! Aft tube room one and three breeched! Engineering reports damage in aft impeller nodes and heavy casualties…."

The frantic list of his ship's horrendous wounds rolled on but Clark didn't have any time to listen to it. His crew would have to deal with it as best they could. His universe narrowed to the helm and tactical weapons control.

"Prep and launch mike lima decoys, load all forward chase tubes! Roll port! Evasion pattern uniform niner!"

The Wolverine did her best and twisted back around to port doubling back on her course and thus turning her bow towards the oncoming pirate missile storm. The Wolverine's decoy drones streaked out in front of her calling to the sensors of the pirate missiles trying to kill the Wolverine.

"Laser point defense fire plan Horatius at the bridge!" Clark snapped and the Kzin twins flashed his orders from Tactical to the loaders who started throwing canisters of counter missiles out of the bow chaser missile tubes. At least two thirds of the incoming pirate missile salvos lost targeting lock and twisted off into open space after the decoy drones.

The Wolverine's defensive fire bored a tunnel through the middle of the dense swarm of pirate missiles. Clark roared down the tunnel with the Wolverine's surviving laser point defense clusters in desperate continuous fire against the surviving pirate X-ray laser warhead missiles on her flank.

Nuclear bomb pumped lasers lashed out at the Wolverine but they wasted themselves on the impenetrable impeller wedge covering the bottom of the Wolverine. Clark's "standing on toes" hairpin turn had taken the pirate missiles onboard computers by surprise and they had no time to maneuver into firing position.

And they should be surprised Clark thought grimly. He turned the bleeding Wolverine directly into the teeth of the pirate ship Tusumi. A few moments later the Kzin twins roared out that their heavy laser energy mounts had locked on and Clark screamed out the order to fire at will.

The Kzin twins still roaring in excitement opened fire. The range was long for energy weapons, even for the massive forward chasers mounts. They weren't as good as the sniper scout skills of Whitney Fordman but the Kzin twins had always been deadly stand off shooters.

The Tsunami staggered as the deadly blasts of energy beams sledge hammered into the pirate ship. The Tsunami looked like she had run into a rock in space. The heavy laser mounts went into continuous rapid fire as they sucked energy from every system on the Wolverine. Audible warning alarms went off as the shields were sucked dry to power the attack. Damage alarms, combat chatter and peeping priority signals all went off together as the huge laser cannons overheated catastrophically but there was no point in cutting back now and Clark knew it as he signaled through the noise to the Kzin twins to pour it on.

The Kzin twins roared approval and they didn't even try to reduce power down to under the red line. They simply threw everything the Wolverine had for as long as she had it. The pirate ship Tsunami shields shattered, impeller nodes exploded like pressurized flashbulbs and atmosphere belched into the vacuum of space from a dozen open tears.

Then the entire forward third of the pirate ship's hull shattered. It didn't explode but simply… shattered. The brutally mutilated hull of the pirate ship that almost destroyed the Wolverine in an ambush in the Tiberious system began to roll madly. A few moments later the Tsunami exploded into wreckage shattering into jagged splinters, empty life pods and bodies of pirates tumbling through space.

The tide of destruction swept aft tearing the Tsunami apart frame by frame until the warp and wedge drives were hit and then the Tsunami vanished in a sun bright fireball…two seconds before the Wolverine's forward laser cannon's abused circuitry melted.

There was no time for Clark to feel exultation or even grim satisfaction. He yelled out his orders, "Come about and prepare to engage the Hurricane".

The battered Wolverine turned toward the undamaged pirate ship Hurricane for Captain Clark Kent to once again lead his crew into battle.

On the Surface of Planet Tiberious with Aisha and the Marines:

"Wake up, Ma'am!'

Aisha's eyes opened and she looked at a hand the size of a shovel on her shoulder. It was obviously restraining itself since it was only ripping one shoulder off at a time. The hand as expected was attached to Sergeant Matino.

"We've got trouble," Sergeant Matino said in a low voice. "Overflight four or five minutes ago. Then whoever it was came back lower. Their scan sensors must have got a sniff of our power sources…."

Before the Sergeant could complete his sentence the whine of turbines filled the air. Aisha caught the image of a vast black shape looming in the air overhead like a huge bird of pray. It wasn't a shuttle craft but an assault flyer, the heavily armed kind that the Clove used to carry an entire company of battle armored infantry. For sure it was filled to the brim with pirates.

On board the Pirate assault flyer:

"There they are; the Marines are in that valley. They are trying to dampen their power sources but it's them for sure. Punch up the com and pass a message to the Cyclone to let them know we found the Wolverine's away team. We will drop our assault troops on top of them and then stand by for support fire, after that…."

On the Surface of Planet Tiberious:

Lighting flashed from several locations in the valley beneath the pirate assault flyer and interrupted the pirate pilot in mid sentence.

Sergeant Matino had deployed his two squads of marines to cover the narrow valley in which they had taken refuge. His orders were to only fire under orders unless it was obvious they had been discovered. Then as Weave Marines they were expected to use their own initiative.

Whatever the reason five marines fired virtually simultaneously their plasma rifles at the pirate assault flyer. The pirate pilot of the assault flyer had forgotten a very important fact. This time he was hunting marines and not terrified unarmed civilian merchant crew.

The pirate assault flyer was well armored for an atmosphere capable craft and was carrying one hundred and seventy five pirate infantry personnel in battle amour but when hit by simultaneous multiple plasma strikes at less than four hundred yards it was pirate barbecue time on planet Tiberious.

The incandescent energy bolts ripped straight through the assault flyer's hull and the pirates on board that thought they were hunting mice vanished in the brilliant blue flare of igniting hydrogen that brought a warm glow to every marine's heart.

Several Minutes Later:

"Move it or lose it" Sergeant Matino shouted at the fleet personnel driving them before him while his well trained marines covered the flanks. The only positive was that they had decent low light vision equipment but the terrain was still rugged. Aisha discovered that running down a rocky gorge in the middle of the night was a lot harder than running laps on the track at Fleet Academy.

Aisha stumbled over a loose rock and would have fallen if a huge shovel sized hand hadn't darted out and caught her. She was a tiny petite prolong drug recipient but was still surprised that she weighted as little as Sergeant Matino made it seem as he held her up straight arm at a full run until she got her feet back under her.

"The pirates will be back overhead with a new assault flyer as soon as they can now that they made contact with us." The Sergeant was breathing almost normal despite the pace he was setting. Of course a corner of Aisha's practical combat efficient mind reflected that Tiberious's gravity was about one third of the gravity that the heavy world marine had grown up with.

"The fire from the burning pirate assault flyer will screw up their thermal scans for a while but they will still be able to sweep for power sources unless we can get back under cover in time."

Aisha just nodded to show she understood seeing she had no breath to spare for conversation. She was completely occupied with concentrating on putting on foot in front of the other and finding solid ground to do it on.

"Over here, turn here!" that was one of the marine corporals yelling at her. Sergeant Matino had scouted the area carefully before he chose the narrow valley where they destroyed the pirate assault flyer as their first hiding place. He had partly chosen it because there were other hiding spots almost as good close at hand. The corporal was at the entrance of their new hiding place and a moment later Aisha was pulled and then pushed into a hidden ravine.

The new hiding place was a ravine so narrow Aisha was surprised that Sergeant Matino could squeeze his huge body into it but once again he surprised her by deftly following on her heels as she ducked under an overhang.

The two walls of the ravine inclined together at the top and over the years debris had gathered narrowing the gap at the top effectively turning the ravine into a kind cave. Cover was good but the problem with the new hiding place was there were only one entry and one exit. The fleet personnel and marines leaned against the walls panting heavily.

"Check the remote scan sensor, Sergeant," Aisha panted out of tortured lungs.

"On it," Sergeant Matino slipped off his backpack and in a few moments had the scan sensor screen up which was still tied into the remote scan they left back in place over their first hideout.

Aisha adjusted the scan screen and brought it into focus just in time to see a second pirate assault flyer on the ground beside the roaring flames of the pirate shuttle the marines had destroyed. "Damn," the Sergeant said softly as he peered over Aisha's shoulder. "I was hoping the pirates wouldn't recover so fast. That was pretty fast off the mark. I make it just over thirty seven minutes."

Aisha's heart sank. She also hoped it would take much longer for the pirates to organize a follow up assault flyer flight to do a recon of their original hiding place. Aisha knew her original plan to escape required that they have more time to move from covered position to covered position. It was then that Aisha knew it was time for a new and far more deadly course of action.

Aisha nodded to Sergeant Matino to follow her and the two of them made their way to the mouth of the covered ravine and crouched down together.

"The pirates are fast," Aisha said finally and was answered by the Sergeant's shrug. "Pirates that fly are always faster than marines that walk," he said philosophically. "On the other hand marines that walk can get into places that pirates that fly can't"

But Sergeant, if the pirates pin us down in the place like this ravine they don't really need to come in after us." Aisha looked around with an involuntary shiver, "It will be like when the Clove cornered us in the Valley of Tamarrion. They would chase us in to the holes and then just use two or three grenades or plasma bursts to take us all out."

Sergeant Matino's eyebrows twitched, it was still hard for him to conceptualize that this fleet officer that looked like a thirteen year old Massood girl due to longevity drugs was a combat veteran of the famed Battle of the Valley of Tamarrion.

Sergeant Matino smiled, "It is more like the Valley of Tamarrion than you think Ma'am,"

"What do you mean?" Aisha asked.

"This time like when you fought in the Valley of Tamarrion; Captain Clark Kent will be coming to save the day."

Aisha had to laugh, "I don't know Sergeant, there is no one that believes in Captain Clark Kent more than I do but the Wolverine was heavily damaged. If he can he will but the more prudent course of action with two undamaged pirate star cruisers on its tail would be for the Wolverine to make a run for help."

Sergeant Matino countered her logic, "The Captain would have already taken care of asking for help. As soon as he made it across the hyper wall the Captain would launch homing probes informing Weave Command of the situation with the planetary pirates in the Tiberious system. The homing probes would go for help so then damaged or not Captain Clark Kent will turn the Wolverine around to engage the pirate ships in battle. Then the Captain will blow the two pirate ships to hell and sail through their wreckage and come back for us." Sergeant Matino looked up, "I expect at dawn we will have a front row seat for when the Captain shows up to blow the pirate ship Cyclone to space dust in high orbit."

Of all things unbecoming a fleet officer Aisha giggled, "You talk like Captain Clark Kent is a superman. I though I was Captain Clark Kent's biggest fan."

Sergeant Matino smiled, "The fact that Captain Clark Kent is a superman goes without saying to anyone that has served under his command. And Ma'am I think you have a lot of competition across the galaxy when it comes to being the Captain's biggest fan."

"Ok Sergeant, if you say so," then Aisha's face tightened, "Now all we have to do is stay alive till dawn."

Then the light hearted banter evaporated as Aisha started to outline her new plan to the Sergeant. "We need to buy more time if we are going to make it to see the dawn."

"I'm certainly open to ideas," the Sergeant agreed.

"We don't have enough thermal blankets to block their scan sensors and even if we did it would be only a matter of time before the pirates work their way far enough down the valley to spot our ravine." Aisha thumped the rock wall behind her. "And when they do there is no where to run and no room to fight.

"What are you saying Ma'am," the Sergeant said slowly in the tone of a man who was pretty sure he wasn't going to like what he was about to hear from the young Ensign.

"If we all stay here the pirates will get us all when they find us. I know you and your marines will put up a good fight but with us pinned down in here the fight won't last long."

Sergeant Matino nodded knowing the worst was yet to come.

"In that case the best bet for some to survive is to decoy the pirates away from our ravine hiding place. If we all stay here we all die but if some of us using thermal blankets for cover while moving away from the ravine once clear deliberately show ourselves further down the valley, well away from the ravine, they can decoy the pirates to them and pull the pirates past those hiding in the ravine."

It was every bit as bloody a plan as Sergeant Matino's instincts expected. He was silent for a few seconds and then drew a deep breath of regret. "Ma'am there is something to what you are proposing but you do understand that no one selected for the decoy party is going to survive, don't you?"

Aisha flatly answered him, "Sergeant if we all stay here we all die, if some decoy the pirates then those left hiding in the ravine have a good chance of surviving. Do you disagree with that assessment?"

"No Ma'am," he said finally, "No I don't."

Then with a bitter sweet smile the Sergeant didn't quite understand Ashia said, "In that case you need to choose who of your marines is to be in the decoy party so be about it."

Sergeant Matino knew those marines he picked had just received a death sentence the same as his own for he would never pick marines for a suicide mission like this unless he was his own first pick.

Of course it was never going to be as simple as picking marines to die since he should have guessed when Ensign Aisha told him she intended to command the decoy party.

"Ma'am, this decoy job is a job for Marines!" the Sergeant sharply said.

"Sergeant," Aisha shot back, "the decoys were my idea, that makes it my job and I say that makes me in command of the decoy party."

"You're not trained for it. You belong at a tactical weapons board on the bridge of a star cruiser not dirtside doing decoy," the Sergeant protested.

"No I'm not but I am a veteran of the battle of the valley of Tamarrion," then Aisha dropped her voice, "Lets be honest here Sergeant, when the pirates catch up to the decoys they are going to realize they've been decoyed away if all they find are Marine bodies. The pirates are going to know they have been fooled if they don't find any fleet officer's body with the marines." Then unflinchingly she finished, "the pirates need to find fleet personnel dirtside or the decoy won't have a chance of working."

Sergeant Matino stared at Aisha. It was then the Sergeant knew Aisha had known it from the very first when she thought up the decoy idea. She knew the decoys were going to die and she knew she was going to die with them. Aisha was deliberately planning to use her own corpse in a fleet Ensign's uniform in an effort to protect the other personnel under her command.

The Sergeant started to grasp for straws, ""You aren't trained for this. You will slow us down."

"I'm the youngest fittest Fleet person present," Aisha bluntly said. "I may slow you down some but I'll slow you down the least."

"But…"

"There is no more time. The debate is finished. I'll let you choose the marines to join the decoy party but I'm coming. Is that clearly understood?"

Sergeant Matino stared at her thinking of bashing her over the head into unconsciousness and leading the decoys himself for perhaps three heartbeats. Then slowly, against his will he nodded.

The Pirate Search and Destroy Patrol dirtside on Planet Tiberious:

"I'm picking something up. I think it's a power pack. Over that way…."

The pirate looked up from the display of is scan sensor pack and pointed….just as the supersonic whip crack of a pulsar dart blew the back of his head into a finely divided spray of blood, bone and ripped up brain tissue.

The pirate officer in command of the dirtside patrol cursed in falsetto shock as the scalding tide of crimson liquid speckled with white flecks of bone exploded over his face. Then the second dart from the marine decoy party arrived in his face and the pirate officer would never be surprised by anything again.

On the Surface of Planet Tiberious with Aisha and the Marines on Decoy Mission:

Sergeant Matino looking through night vision smiled in savage satisfaction as two of his marines took down their targets. "Well, that is the kind of diversion that will draw the pirate's attention. Aisha nodded beside him in the dark. She had seen the sudden efficient executions and in a far corner of her mind marveled that it hadn't shocked her more.

"The pirates are starting to circle around to the west." There were over three hundred pirates on the ground moving steadily in the direction of the marine decoys. It was obvious to Aisha that the pirates were not in the same class as Sergeant Matino and his marines. The pirates were slow, clumsy and obvious in their movement and what just happened to the two pirates that strayed into the marine's kill zone was ample evidence of the difference in comparative lethality. But there were still over three hundred pirates and they were closing in on the decoy marines at last.

Aisha leaned her forehead against the rock behind which her and the Sergeant had taken over and felt her battered body sag around her bones. Aisha had never imagined she could feel so tired and completely exhausted. She was almost glad that it was nearly over.

Sergeant Matino broke from his intense study of their back trail long enough to glance down at the exhausted junior officer and the hard set of his mouth relaxed for a moment. He never thought Aisha would be able to keep up the pace but she had. She had been the first to reach their first casualty; a marine private taken down when a pulsar dart came screaming out of the night to kill him. She'd dragged the marine private to cover and checked his pulse, and then as cool as ever she'd taken the dead marine's pulse rifle and ammo pouches. Then when the three pirates who shoot the marine private emerged to confirm their kill Aisha opened fire and in one neat economical burst dropped the three pirates in their tracks. She'd then crawled back through the rocks to rejoin the rest of the marine decoy party while they put down heavy covering fire.

Sergeant Matino had of course ripped her a new one for exposing herself that way but his heart hadn't been in it and of course Aisha knew it. She'd listened to his short savage lecture of the lack of intelligence involved in such a stupid, boneheaded, holocube heroic novel trick and then to his disbelief she smiled back at him.

It hadn't been a happy smile but a bittersweet heartbreaker of a smile. It was the smile of someone who knew exactly why Sergeant Matino was reading her the riot act. Aisha knew he was just doing it to maintain the silly pretense that the decoy party might somehow survive long enough for her to profit from the lecture.

"I make that forty three pirates confirmed killed," Sergeant Matino said after a moment. He continued his night vision sweep and then paused to raise his pulse rifle. Aisha saw his movement and brought her own pulse rifle to her shoulder that she had taken off the first marine casualty hours ago.

"Two of them on the right," the Sergeant said out of the side of his mouth.

"Another one on the left side," Aisha replied. "Up the slope by the tree."

"You take him; I'm on the right," he said.

"Call it," Aisha said with her smooth soprano voice calm, almost detached.

"Now," and the two of them fired as one. A moment later Aisha rocked back to cover their flanks as Sergeant Matino dropped his second target.

"Time to move, you first," he told her.

"Right," and Aisha started keeping low, ignoring the pain in her wounded knee as she crawled across the rocky ground. She heard the Sergeant's pulse rifle whine again behind her before she reached the next firing point. She made it to the boulder and rolled into position. The pulse rifle's built in telescopic, light gathering sight made the valley even in the middle of the night midday bright. Aisha quickly found the four pirates that were engaging Sergeant Matino. She took a moment to be certain of their exact location and then swept the lower valley behind the four pirates and her blood ran cold.

There were at least thirty more pirates pressing up behind the four pirates on point with still more pirates behind them. The Sergeant had the four pirates on point pinned down but they had him pinned down as well and he couldn't get the angle of fire he need on them.

But Aisha could from her high vantage point. She tucked the pulse rifle into her shoulder and held the zero to squeeze off the first shot. In her sight the pirate's upper torso blew apart. The pirate beside him jumped when the blood spray hit him while the pirate beside him darted a look and started to swing his own rifle toward her. In the process the pirate rose just high enough to expose his own head. Sergeant Matino took the shot and then followed up on the second point pirate with a quick shot that splattered the pirate with his own blood over the first pirate's blood.

Aisha had the angle on the fourth pirate and after another steady squeeze of her trigger the four pirates on point were dead. "Clear Sergeant but you better hurry. They have brought along friends."

On Board the Pirate Ship Cyclone:

"Well screw this!" the pirate captain snarled at his first officer as he looked at the latest tactical reports coming up from the surface of Tiberious. His pirate infantry had finally flushed the Marines out of their hiding place but then ran into a bloody buzz saw. There was no way the kill numbers the pirate infantry were sending up were accurate. Hell according to them they had killed over forty marines. The only number the pirate captain believed was that in killing all those marines his pirate infantry had suffered over fifty casualties. Killed over forty marines; what bullshit, when there was no dam way that Krypton son of a bitch in the first place would sent forty marines down in a landing party for a dirt ball of religious nuts like Planet Tiberious.

"Piss on this!"

"Piss on what, Captain" the first officer asked wearily.

"All of this; every dam bit of it. We just find a good base of operations and this Krypton son of a bitch shows up and destroys the Typhoon with all hands. Even when the Hurricane and Tsunami destroy him it won't be good enough revenge for the trouble he's caused." The pirate captain sprang out of his command chair and shook a fist at Planet Tiberious on his tactical screen. "And piss on those frigging idiots down there that are taking all night to kill a few marines. Hell none of those idiots couldn't find their ass with both hands!"

"At least they flushed the Marines out of their hidey hole. Now they are in contact and closing in for the kill," said the first officer trying to find some positive spin.

"Sure the idiots are! Such close dam contact that we can't get in there to use the assault flyers for air support without killing our own infantry along with the marines but if we call them back far enough for air support the marines will break contact again."

"Your right Captain, the marines are tricky. They have already broken contact three times."

The pirate captain glared at his first officer, "Well they had better get it together and get in and kill every one of those dam marines dirtside or I am going to say to hell with the lot of them and lob in a missile because soon it's going to be time for a few 'friendly fire' casualties."

On the Surface of Planet Tiberious with Aisha and the Marines on Decoy Mission:

"We just lost another private out on the right flank," Aisha told Sergeant Matino wearily. The Sergeant almost winced at the pain and guilt in her voice. The decoy party was down from a thirteen person squad to five marines and Ensign Aisha.

"At least we did what you planned on," he said. "There is no way in hell they are going to backtrack and search for our people hiding in the ravine that close to the original contact site. We are Marines Aisha and don't mind dying for a mission that means something and saving our people means a lot."

"I know," Aisha turned an exhausted face towards Sergeant Matino as she realized for the first time he had used her first name. The eastern sky was starting to look pale and Aisha felt a sense of wonder that they had survived the night long firefight.

Only they hadn't of course. Not quite yet.

The five marines and Aisha were on the same hill and there was no place left for them to run. The ground in front of them had good arc angles for a kill zone but behind them their hill was squarely in the mouth of a box canyon. What was left of the Marine decoy squad was trapped with no avenue of retreat.

Sergeant Matino could see movement below and he realized the pirate infantry were going to come right up the slope straight at the dug in marines instead of standing back and calling in air strikes. Either the pirate infantry didn't know the marines were trapped or they sure had some idiot giving orders down there. Of course it wouldn't make any different in the end but it would give the marines the opportunity to take an even bigger escort of pirates to hell with them.

There was one thing he was going to regret doing today and it wasn't killing pirates. Sergeant Matino looked sadly at the exhausted young fleet ensign beside him and touched the butt of his pulsar sidearm. She had fought like a devil but still looked like a thirteen year old girl that should be in school not killing pirates. He had cleaned up after pirates before and seeing these pirates were from the Cyclone, the pirate ship that hit the Sweet Delight there was no way he would allow Ensign Aisha to fall into their hands.

"It's been a good run Aisha," the Sergeant said softly. "Just sorry we didn't get you out, that's all."

"Not your fault Matino," Aisha said some how finding a smile through the exhaustion and blood. "I was the one that thought up the decoy plan. That's why I had to be here."

"I know," he said and rested one huge shovel hand on her little shoulder for a moment. Then Sergeant Matino inhaled sharply. "I'll take the right," he said briskly. "Any pirates on the left belong to you and your pulse rifle."

On Board the Pirate Ship Cyclone:

"Finally," screamed the pirate captain as he grabbed the com from the communications officer. "Now these are your orders," he snarled at the pirate infantry commander who was the third dam one they had so far that night since the Marines kept killing them. "I am sick and tired of a few dam marines running three hundred of you ragged. You get in there and kill every one of the bastards or I will unload a tactical nuke from orbit and kill all of you including those dam marines."

The pirate captain drew a breath, "Is that clear!"

"Yes, Sir, hold off on the tactical nukes. I promise you they will be dead…"

Suddenly a scream came from the throat of the pirate captain's tactical officer: "Incoming!"

The pirate captain spun around to face the Cyclones tactical screen and his blood ran cold as his jaw dropped to the deck of the pirate ship's bridge. There pictured was a swarm of blood red icons coming straight at them; each icon represented an incoming laser warhead missile.

The origin of the missile attack turned on its identification beacon so the pirate captain would know who was killing him. It was impossible! How could the Wolverine still be in one piece? He wasn't a superman but just a dam son of Krypton. It was a red star system not yellow. How could….?

On Board Weave Fleet Star Cruiser the SSS Wolverine:

His face was tired and drawn and Captain Clark Kent's eyes were bloodshot but they blazed with victory as every undamaged missile tube the Wolverine had left locked on and unloaded on the pirate ship Cyclone. The stupid over confident pirates were sitting ducks in high orbit with their wedge drive on standby and their shields down to help boost the range of their scans searching for Aisha and marines on Planet Tiberious. It was obvious the pirate captain hadn't even ordered his crew to man the laser counter measures defense stations. The incoming missiles from the Wolverine were going to tear into the Cyclone like a duck being hit with a bazooka.

As soon as the Wolverine's missiles cleared the tubes the Kzin twins started roaring while the rest of his battered and bloody bridge crew cheered. Clark looked around his bridge and counted the price the Wolverine and her crew had paid to reach this moment.

Environmental one, three, four were gone, so was shuttle bay one and two and both Damage Control Central and Communications One. Only three missile tubes and a few lasers counter measure ports were left on her forward chase armament and none at all aft. Half of the midship laser counter measure posts were blown away and half the aft wedge drive impeller nodes were still off line. The stern wall shield was completely destroyed. Half of the artificial gravity plates were off line. The surviving missile magazines were all down to less than twenty percent. Over forty different compartments of the Wolverine were open to space and wedge drive two was in emergency shutdown.

Three of his bridge officers were dead and dozens and dozens of crew. As expected the Kzin twins were battered but still in the fight even if Sim was missing an arm from a laser head attack and both were seriously scorched. Twenty percent of the Wolverine's crew were dead and another twenty percent were wounded and holding on to life in sickbay.

The battered Wolverine was flying wreckage in open space and Clark knew there was no way in this galaxy he could take on another undamaged pirate star cruiser and win. But the Wolverine and its crew had destroyed three pirate ships and if they had to galaxy or no galaxy they would send the fourth one to hell. There was no way he was going to abandon thirty million religious pacifists to be scorched along with his own people on their away mission.

Sergeant Matino and Aisha knew that it doesn't take a yellow star system to make Captain Clark Kent a superman so of course true to character and as he always would in the future Clark came back. The Wolverine had made a secret and excruciating gradual jump from hyper space into the outer system, well beyond the detection range of the Cyclone's scans, not that any pirates were looking for them.

Clark then slowly accelerated the Wolverine inward on a stealth slide through the Tiberious solar system to ambush the Cyclone. The Kzin twins the whole way calculating missile targeting solutions every few minutes and locking them in to the weapons computers just in case the Cyclone's crew got it together and woke up. Now with total surprise on their side the Wolverine came roaring out of the darkness of space and every one of her remaining undamaged tubes spat missiles at the unsuspecting Cyclone.

The pirate captain and all the pirate crew that raped the Sweet Delight were always dead man walking with Captain Clark Kent hunting them. The Cyclone was surrounded by a seething cauldron of nuclear flame as the missile warhead after missile warhead detonated and hurled its fury at the pirate ship. Armor and hull plating shattered, atmosphere gushed from gapping wounds like blood. Pirates died—some instantly like switching off a light and while others died screaming in broken agony, trapped in the wreckage of their ship until Clark's missiles ripped the Cyclone open like a ripe seed pod and the pirate ship blew into hydrogen fire.

On the Surface of Planet Tiberious with Aisha and the Marines on Decoy Mission:

"Christ on a cracker, look at that!" called out one of the surviving marines.

"It has to be the Captain, he's back!"

"Couldn't be; the Wolverine was too badly damaged and up against two pirate star cruisers."

"But it's Captain Clark Kent! He's a freaking superman."

Sergeant Matino didn't know which of his marines said it but the label superman summed up his feelings admirably when it comes to the Captain."

For the remaining Marines the dawn on Planet Tiberious was met with huge blinding sun bright flashes of nuclear fire as whole clusters of laser warhead missiles detonated almost directly overhead. It could mean only one thing, their Captain was back. Then there was a far larger, far brighter, far closer boil of fury and they knew a pirate star cruiser's warp drive had just opened up to space.

"Holy shit, here they come!" one of the surviving marines yelled and they jerked their attention away from the nuclear fire in the heavens as the pirate infantry started their charge up the hill. It was time for the marines to make their last stand. The pirates were unloading with everything from pulse rifles, side arms, tribarrels and grenade launchers trying their best to keep the heads of the defending marines down.

The five marines and Aisha picked their targets and waited for the pirates to reach maximum exposure.

"Fire at will," Sergeant Matino shouted and six pulse rifles poured shredder darts back down the hill. The marines were low on ammo but with no where to retreat to there was no point in conserving it now so they blazed away furiously. The streaking tracers painted the breaking dawn morning with brief terrible strings of smoke. Aisha could see through her telescopic sight the close up image of dying pirates and hear the shrieks of the wounded. The pounding the pirates took charging uphill into the marines kill zone was savage.

Still the pirates kept coming and not knowing about the threat of a tactical nuke Sergeant Matino wondered what the pirates thought they could accomplish now? Didn't the pirate infantry realize what those explosions over head in high orbit meant! This idiot charge of theirs could be simple desperation or the wasted move of combat soldiers too tried and too tightly focused on the task at hand to think about anything else. Or it was ordinary stupidity. Not that it mattered either way in this the rush of bloody combat and desperate survival.

One of the marine privates went down as a head sized lump of rock due to a pirate grenade explosion was blasted into his chest but his clamshell battle armor held and he shook off the shock and dragged himself back to his pulse rifle to pull himself up and open fire once more.

The attack of the pirate infantry rolled up the hill with the forward line melting under the marine's fire but they kept coming. Sergeant Matino saw Aisha drop her pulse rifle as she shot dry her last magazine. She drew her sidearm and then holding the phase pistol in a classic two handed firing range grip even now the Sergeant could see she was choosing her targets, making every round count refusing to just blaze away in a panic. It was at this moment that Sergeant Matino emotionally accepted that this young Fleet officer was a combat veteran at thirteen years old of the battle of the valley of Tamarrion.

Then without any warning the pirate attack broke and the survivors turned to stumble back down the hill to cover. Perhaps only thirty percent of the attacking pirate infantry made it back down the hill. The rest were either dead or wounded in their ill fated head on charge.

The pirate's infantry just discovered what professional marines like Sergeant Matino already knew. You do not charge into the teeth of modern infantry weapons however out numbered the defenders were without powered armor or air support. Neither of which the planetary pirates had since their support had been turned into burning wreckage by Captain Clark Kent at the edge of space.

Aisha raised her head cautiously and peered down scanning from side to side. The hill was a bloody meat grinder of motionless bodies and withering wounded littering the ground between flames where the pulse rifles had set fire to the dry underbrush. Sergeant Matino beside Aisha blinked in disbelief. They were still alive. Of course that could change but it wouldn't be changing due to another pirate infantry charge. The juice had been not just squeezed but blown out of what was left of the pirate infantry by five marines and a junior fleet officer armed with pulse rifles.

"Now hear this," A voice as hard as battle steel broadcasted over the frequency of every helmet com, both pirate and marine alike. "This is Captain Clark Kent commanding the SSS Wolverine. Any pirate that lays down his weapons and surrenders immediately will be taken into custody and given a fair trial. Any pirate who does not lay down his weapons and surrender will suffer the same fate as every pirate on the Typhoon, Hurricane, Tsunami and Cyclone. Now surrender or I will melt the flesh off your bones. This is your first and last warning!"

It felt like an hour as Aisha held her breath staring down the hill wondering what the pirates would do. But it was less than five heart beats and then by one and twos the pirates stepped out of cover, dropped their weapons and reached up to clasp their hands behind their heads. The pirates stood there waiting in place as the red star of Tiberious rose out of the east in a new dawn.

"You heard our Captain's orders, Sergeant," said a soft soprano voice with a Massood musical accent. "We have some prisoners to take into custody so lets be about it."

"Yes, Ma'am!" Sergeant Matino gave Aisha a parade ground salute which somehow looked completely normal even if delivered by a bloody dirty giant of a man to what looked like a thirteen year old girl with elf ears in her own bloody dusty fleet uniform. The thirteen year old elf girl with the fly away hair looked up at the giant towering over her and a moment later returned his salute with one of her own.

"Alright Marines," Sergeant Matino turned to his survivors and if his voice sounded a little husky of course it was only due to fatigue. "You heard the Ensign, let's go sort out the prisoners!"

….To be continued as Part 50: To Kill or Not To Kill Lana Lang? That is the Question!


	54. A Call To Arms Part 50

Hi SFB Kludge & Canton John,

I am a fan but as much as I like Honor Harrington I have to give the gold metal for Space Opera to the intrepid Heris Serrano and Esmay Suiza.

As for stealing from the best that is one thing I really am doing. There is stuff in this story from David Weber, several different episodes of Star Trek & Farscape, John Ringo, Robert Reed, Elizabeth Moon, Alan Foster, Anne McCaffrey etc. For example: The collapse star jump and stasis field are from Joe Haldeman's science fiction classic "The Forever War". And the Kzin Aliens are from the "Known Space" novels of Larry Niven.

What can I say? I real a lot by flashlight under a tarp and I will keep reading as long as my distance vision stays 20/15 in one eye and 20/13 in the other.

For SandSniper fanfiction is smiles and chuckles but for royalties David Weber owes CS Forester a whole lot of royalties since Honor Harrington is actually a female Horatio Hornblower set in space instead of the Napoleonic wars.

I will say Viktor Sidiak is real (he's coming up in a couple chapters) but he was killed in battle in the Pahjshir Valley Afghanistan by a SAS sniper attached to Ahmed Shah Massood Shah's group. However in real life Viktor Sidiak was not a freelance assassin hired by Intergang to kill Lana and Chloe but an honorable soldier and one of the most acclaimed snipers of his time. The shot that killed him is in this story as Whitney's shot that killed the North Korean sniper armed with the Dragonov.

However everything else is stolen in this fanfiction (hell even Thor-el is Thor the Norse God of Thunder) and that puts me in good company since there hasn't been an original plot since the tragedies of ancient Greece were written.

Thanks for reading, SandSniper

Hi Winthjo,

The sandbox is the real world for me.

I am what after 9/11 is called a Security Consultant but before war got so politically correct the more honest label was Mercenary so there will always be another war zone.

All the best, SandSniper

Now on with the story!

Part 50: To Kill or Not To Kill Lana Lang? That is the Question!

On Board Weave Fleet Star Cruiser the SSS Wolverine:

"Ensign Aisha is here to see you, Sir," the Marine sentry relayed to Captain Clark Kent who was in his ready room."

"Please sent her in," came back the reply.

The Marine stepped aside as the door way opened. Aisha nodded her thanks as she stepped past him. For just a moment the tall Marine sentry allowed his professional nonexpression to vanish from his face. It was replaced by a smile and a wink of encouragement before the doorway slid shut behind her.

Aisha crossed the ready room and came to attention in front of Clark's desk.

Clark let a small smile onto his face as he quietly said, "Stand easy, Ensign."

Aisha let her spine relax ever so slightly as she remembered the first time she ever saw the Captain. She had been holding the Massood commanders side arm watching the high grass and mist for the Clove patrol to appear to kill them. At that moment so many years ago she had felt so close to her family and friends that she welcomed with almost heart stopping anticipation the chance to die. All she asked of death in the Valley of Tamarrion was that she could lived the next few minutes well and to kill as many of the destroyers of her world as she could before death's sweet release.

Then instead of a Clove patrol killing them Clark Kent leading the Crows appeared like ghosts out of the mist and saved not only her life but her future. The man sitting behind the desk in the Wolverine's ready room was exactly the same heroic figure she had seen that first day through the rain and mist in the Valley of Tamarrion.

Clark looked up at Aisha. As always she looked so absurdly young to be a born hero. Instead of a fleet officer, standing before him Aisha looked more like a small town farm girl in her early teens that should be baby sitting on a Friday night in Smallville, watching videos and making popcorn for a couple of toddlers.

Instead she had fought like a combat veteran dirtside and killed more than anyone's hunting limit of pirates. Clark had read Sergeant Matino's report. Most marines have a healthy disregard for young fleet officers but to the marines of the Wolverine this young ensign in that single battle had become for them the best fleet officer on the Wolverine.

Aisha looking all of thirteen with paper white skin and those long elegant but always so very cute elf ears felt a flush of embarrassment stain her cheeks as her Captain studied her.

"Sir?"

"Come on Aisha," Aisha's brow furrowed for a second as she realized for the first time since she came on board the Wolverine Captain Clark Kent used her first name. "We are in my ready room and we have elbowed each other too often in the face playing Wall Ball with the twins, Puss'n'Boots and Whitney to fall back on formalities now. I was just formal before in front of the crew since I was your captain and it wouldn't have been proper to be casual."

Aisha was confused, "What do you mean sir; was my Captain?"

"The Wolverine is going out of service. I am going to be her Captain just long enough to bring her back to Planet Tanegli where she will be handed over to the space dock yards for a complete refitting. The Wolverine did take quite a pounding."

Clark smiled, "All of the wounded and most of the crew will be coming back with me. I won't be staying on Planet Tanegli since when the Wolverine comes out of dry dock she will have a new mission and thus a new captain."

Aisha tried to keep the disappointment out of her voice. "Where are you going to be posted, sir?"

"I said no sir or Captain behind closed doors. After I leave the Wolverine I will still be a Captain in rank but not commanding a star ship. I will be returning to the Crows to once again be a fighter jock wing commander. Just not right away since after I hand the Wolverine over to the yard dogs I will be taking some leave for RnR."

Clark stood up and came around to sit on the front of his desk as he gestured Aisha to be seated. "I do want to let you know where you will be posted after the Wolverine. We have destroyed the planetary pirates or at least most of them so even with that good news the bad news is that now the regular space pirates will come out of the woodwork. Thus the Weave will deploy a new star cruiser to come out and show the flag to the star systems in this cluster with the mission to hunt down space pirates. I have spoke to the captain of that star ship and she has agreed that she needs an assistant tactical officer that knows this stretch of space. That would be you and also Aisha; you are going to be promoted to Junior Lieutenant even before finishing your first tour. After all it wouldn't do for Fleet to award the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal to just an Ensign."

Aisha was happy that she was sitting down because her knees felt weak. Clark smiled at her, "The ceremony will be on Planet Tanegli and I invited an old friend who used to maintain my energy weapons on my attack fighter years ago: Chief Abe."

Aisha's eyes widened she never knew that Clark knew the old battle scared Fleet spacer Chief Abe that adopted her and ensured she got the chance to enter the Fleet Academy.

Aisha swallowed hard just to get her heart out of her throat and back down to her chest where she was sure it belonged. "Will you be there...Clark?"

Then Clark flashed her his 1000 watt Kent smile, "Aisha, I wouldn't miss it for a dozen star systems."

Aisha blushed deeply and seemed at a loss for words but then mentally shook herself. "I will be sorry not to continue serve under you, Captain?"

Clark just kept grinning, "How many time do I have to say at ease; speak freely or whatever? I know I am still your Captain for the voyage back to Planet Tanegli but you will soon have a new Captain who for your information will be Carin Coldae."

Aisha felt sorry to lose Clark as her captain but she knew Captain Carin Coldae since she had been the captain of the star cruiser Aisha as an orphan had taken from the Massood planet to Planet Sirialis. It was the first star cruiser she had ever been on.

Clark's eyes twinkled, "I think it was Captain Carin Coldae that wrote you a glowing letter of recommendation that helped your acceptance into Fleet Academy.

Once again Aisha white skin showed off a deep blush. "I think that was just because Chief Abe had served as weapons engineer on her ship for so long that she felt he owed him a favor."

Clark gave a bit of a smirk, "Aisha after what you did with the marines on Planet Tiberious, debts to Chief Abe or not, I think Captain Carin Coldae will be very pleased that she wrote you that letter of recommendation. Anyway you should be back out here in a month hunting down space pirates as assistant tactical officer on the SSS Fearless with Captain Carin Coldae commanding."

Aisha knew she really shouldn't ask but just couldn't help herself. "You said you would be coming to the award ceremony on Planet Tanegli and then taking some RnR before returning as Wing Commander of the Crows?" Aisha gave a long inward sign and as casually as she could asked, "Where will you be going for RnR?"

Clark cocked his head slightly as he looked at her. "I will be visiting my family."

A look of slight confusion crossed Aisha's face. "I thought Commander Thor-el was still on a mission?"

Clark smiled, "No, I won't be seeing Thor-el this time. My Uncle Thor-el is my biological family. I am adopted like you so will be visiting my parents Jonathan and Martha Kent and my brother Ryan on a planet called Smallville."

Aisha tried not to look as intensely interested as she obviously was, "Will you be seeing any one else on planet Smallville like maybe friends?"

"Just my friend Pete Ross, see Aisha the planet Smallville hasn't made interstellar contact so it's only my immediate family and Pete that know I'm a son of Krypton." Clark paused and continued; "I have some other friends that I will visit," Clark paused and then continued, "Well to be honest they are more acquaintances than friends since they still believe I am a native born of planet Smallville."

Aisha as casually as she could ask the million dollar question, "Do you mean pretend friends that are really acquaintances like Lana Lang?"

Clark's heart skipped a beat when he heard that name. His eyes narrowed slightly and he then asked, "Aisha, where did you hear that name? Did Whitney tell you?"

A flush of guilty crimson washed across Aisha's paper white skin out to the end of her pointed elf ears. "No, Whitney refused to tell us anything?"

"What do you mean us?"

"The Kzin twins and I."

Clark then gave her a knowing look as he remembered a long ago warning. "Now I understand. Puss'n'Boots told me that you and the Kzin twins were a bit overly concerned after my last super emotion depression attack."

With a bit of an edge in her voice Aisha said, "How could we be overly concerned? You almost died. If Whitney hadn't been there to pull you back from the edge you would have died. It's all the fault of this Smallville woman Lana Lang."

Clark did an inward roll of his eyes, "Aisha, I am touched that you and the Kzin twins are so concerned for my well being but the fact is I survived the depression attack and yes it was due to due to Whitney."

"What if next time Whitney is away on a mission, what then?"

Clark philosophically said, "Then what happens; happens." He turned back to Aisha, "I want you to know Aisha that Lana Lang is not responsible for my depression attacks. My super emotions are simply genetic and part of the price paid for being born a son of Krypton. Lana Lang is not guilty of any thing but falling in love with one of her own, a human called Jason. "

"But if it wasn't for her you would be free of these attacks?"

"That is true but the fact is I don't believe I will never be free of the depression attacks. Maybe you don't know it Aisha but I first saw Lana Lang a long ago, over eighty five years, when we both were very little. We were both about five galaxy years old. My Smallville parents that adopted me didn't know anything about sons of Krypton or for that matter any kind of aliens. They didn't know how to emotionally protect a son of Krypton so innocently exposed me at a very vulnerable time to a little human girl Lana Lang. It was nothing more than a simple mistake by parents that loved me but didn't know about me. Lana Lang is no more responsible for my condition than my Smallville parents. She was just a five year old girl from Planet Smallville that is guilty of nothing but being unfortunate enough to have a son of Krypton fall in love with her."

Aisha thought her heart would shatter when she finally heard Clark say it out loud. In a whisper she said, "There are some that wouldn't consider it unfortunate to have you in love with them."

Like every male in the galaxy Clark missed the inference completely, "That opinion never made any impact on Lana Lang's feelings to me."

Clark turned to look out the viewing port at the stars. "Aisha, Puss'n'Boots told me what you and the Kzin twins were planning if I was killed."

Aisha's eyes dropped to the floor as Clark's gaze turned from the stars toward her, "I know how you feel and believe me I understand but you must promise me that no matter what happens to me you will not hurt Lana Lang."

Aisha raised her eyes to look at Clark, "I am not sure that is a promise I want to make, and even if I made it I am not sure it is a promise I can keep."

Clark crossed the few feet to Aisha and reached down the little elf girl with the paper white fly away hair and put his hand on her shoulder. "Never the less it is a promise I want to me make to me. I know you will keep it because you are a super person."

At this very tense moment of all things Aisha let out a short laugh, "I am a super person? A superman is what Sergeant Matino and the marines kept calling you during the battle with the pirates because they were so sure you would fight your way back to us."

Clarks started to laugh himself, "I have heard Uncle Thor-el called a superman but no one has called me…..actually I should say, asked me if I was a superman for a long time."

"What do you mean, asked?" Aisha asked.

"Seventy five years ago it was my junior year at Smallville High and I was reading 19th century German philosophy, specifically interested in Friedrich Nietzsche's definition of a superman. I dropped my books in front of Lana Lang and she picked up my Nietzsche book. When she handed it to me she asked me if I was Man or Superman?"

Clark turned back to smile at Aisha, "I didn't know the answer to Lana Lang's question back then and today is no different."

Aisha felt her heart ache, "Clark! I…I mean none of us, the crew or the marines would ever need to ask you that question. Unlike this Lana Lang we know and have always known that Clark Kent truly is a superman."

Clark made a weak smile, "Thanks Aisha, true or false it's good to hear." Still Clark's super emotions wouldn't let him off the hook. Clark thought back to that moment when Lana looked at his as she handed him his Nietzsche book. His memory was as strong as his strength as in his mind's eye into focus came Lana's warm smile framed by shining black hair. Clark released a soulful sign, "It's funny but even now fifteen million light years away and after seventy five galaxy years I still wish that Lana Lang could have felt the same way about a son's of Krypton as all of you do."

"Clark, Lana Lang is from Planet Smallville. She is not of the Weave. She is not Fleet. She could never feel the same way we do about you."

"Yes part of me knows that but still it would have been nice to be loved with as much love as humans are capable of. I would have settled for that." Clark paused, "The irony is the Lana Lang didn't know I was a space alien but instead thought I was like her, a human. But even the fact that she thought I was human it didn't change her feelings toward me. As I expected she still rejected me as human the same way she would have if she knew I was an alien. Her thinking I was human just slowed down the rejection process a little bit."

Aisha could almost feel the son of Krypton's emotions swirling around the ready room and softly with complete sincerity said, "Clark, none of us that know you would ever reject you."

Then Clark pulled himself back into the moment and gave Aisha a thankful smile, "I know that Aisha and it helps a lot, more than you know. You, the Kzin, all of you are the same as Pete Ross. None of you needed to know any of Clark Kent's secrets to be a true friend."

The ready room was getting a little intense for a son of Krypton's super emotions. Clark knew how close he was skating at the edge of the depression cliff so moved on to the next topic. "Aisha I know dirtside on Planet Tiberious fighting the planetary pirates you saw horrible things and maybe even did questionable things in response so if you need to talk…"

Aisha knew what was coming so cut him off, "Clark, what was your life like at thirteen?"

Clark thought of his warm memories of growing up in Smallvile. "It was idyllic. Growing up on a farm with a loving family in a friendly small town on an uncharted planet. Why do you ask?"

Aisha answered, "When I was thirteen I saw my family friends and world butchered before my eyes so I don't see what I did fighting the planetary pirates as questionable but the right thing to do."

Aisha's eyes studied Clark as she tried to see what brought on this line of concern for her mental health from her soon to be ex-Captain. "Clark, I don't need any help dealing with what happened with the planetary pirates but you do; even after seventy years of battle when ever you have to kill it bothers you. Doesn't it?"

Clark didn't answer her but just cursed his weakness; his Kryptonian super emotions.

"You don't need to answer. I already know what is your answer. Clark I know what I am but do you know what you are? You Captain Clark Kent are a sacred killer. All societies need them. All civilizations need them. To live their comfortable naïve and most of all self righteous lives polite society needs a sacred killer manning the wall protecting their laws and life style from an unforgiving universe."

Aisha shook her head at the stars, "Clark, I blame your guilt on this society of Planet Smallville where you grew up. It is to the eternal shame of such a politically correct society that it refuses to acknowledge the existence of those such as you and thinks it can get by without respecting such sacred killers. That is why you feel guilt, because that is the way of your adopted planet of Smallville and your super emotions make this guilt a serious threat. But I am Massood, I know for I saw what happens to a society in this universe that thinks it can isolate itself and refuse to get involved and then from the high self righteous moral ground chose to ignore the need of the services of sacred killers that must do bad things for good reasons."

After seventy years of war a young ensign finally explained to Clark what Thor-el had said to him all those years ago about the need to do bad things for good reasons. The irony of a Massood girl lecturing a hero of the galaxy was not lost on Clark's sense of humor laced with extreme irony.

"Thanks Aisha, every once in a while I need to be reminded by that by one of my friends. Without Thor-el or Whitney here to do it I am glad you are keeping me honest, especially with myself."

"Guilt is your only weakness," Aisha paused for a second, "except for of course love."

"Guilt! So now besides being in love with Lana Lang, guilt is also my weakness? Where did you hear that?"

"From Whitney; he told me more than once you could guilt Clark Kent into anything. He said that is how he got you to recommend after the battle of the valley of Tamarrion that I get taken off the Massood planet to Planet Sirialis."

Clark gave her a sideways glance, "You know sometimes I just wish my friends didn't find me so predictable."

Aisha smiled, "You're predictable Clark because you always do the right thing. We all know that; those of us that are with you out here in space. It's back on Planet Smallville they don't understand you or trust you. See you as a threat or a freak. For some reason instead of seeing these Smallville people for what they are you instead feel guilty. Like it's your fault they are afraid of you."

"Yes, out here in space my friends don't make me feel guilty which is a different experience for a son of Krypton than living in Smallville."

Aisha softly replied, "Then they were never your friends in the first place. So stay out here in space with those that care about you and would never betray you. There are dozens of star systems in the Weave where you could live a normal life surrounded by those that respect and love you."

Clark gave her a sad smile back, "You don't know how much I wish for that Aisha after the experience of living in Smallville. It's a dream to have a normal life in a place that isn't afraid of me or trying to exploit me or study me but I have to accept that it just isn't going to happen. Smallville is my home and I can't help my feelings for it, even if Smallville they knew the truth just like Lana Lang they would judge me a liar and a dangerous freak."

"Which begs the question why return to Smallville? They don't understand you or care about you. You could bring your parents and brother to any solar system in the free galaxy and then your family could live in the place where you wouldn't need to hide who you are. It would be the ideal solution."

Clark laughed, "You sound like my Uncle Thor-el, he said the same thing the day he found me, as he viewed it, marooned on Planet Smallville. I didn't even let my father Jonathan know about that offer. I know my adoptive parents would do it for me but I couldn't do that to them. They had paid too high a price already for choosing to love and raise a space alien child on a planet that would like nothing better than to cut me up in a lab. Besides my parents loved the Kent farm and they still had Ryan to raise. It wouldn't be fair to take the chance away from Ryan of the perfect childhood that is just part deal when you are adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent."

Aisha felt herself tear a little as she though of how perfect her childhood had been on the Massood planet before the Clove came and destroyed her world in a few hours. "It has been a long time since I thought of my childhood. I mean the childhood before the Clove came. Whitney has told me and the Kzin twins a little about growing up on Planet Smallville but most of his stories are about playing this game called Football that doesn't sound nearly as good as Wall Ball. A sport without variable gravity is just not very interesting. So could you tell me about growing up in Smallville and hiding your true origin?"

Clark was a little surprised at her request and looked at Aisha with a raised eyebrow. "Are you serious?" Aisha just nodded her head. "Ok, well to start the day I arrived on Planet Smallville it wasn't even a normal landing but more of a controlled crash. Along with my little space ship a storm of meteors came in with me. The meteors were left over pieces of Krypton that were sucked into the worm hole with my space ship as I accelerated away from the destruction of Krypton…….."

Clark continued describing to the Massood girl the trials and tribulations of growing up as a teenage space alien on a farm in small town Kansas. Aisha took it all in mostly letting Clark just talk but from time to time she would interrupt with a question that needed to be answered to be able to follow the story of Clark's childhood.

At the end of it Aisha was hard pressed to believe that Clark could have been so lucky with parents but except for Pete Ross so unlucky in friends. How many times did Clark have to save these people's lives before they would just accept him? Aisha didn't know if it was the human genetic make up that made Clark's friends so unreliable or just something about the environment of Smallville. It was hard to her to believe that it could be genetic when Clark spoke of Pete Ross and his family and she also knew Whitney Fordman personally. Whitney was a hero of Crows and nothing like Clark's so called Smallville friends Lex Luthor, Chloe Sullivan and the infamous Lana Lang.

That Lana Lang; what a piece of work! Out side of Krypton super emotions Aisha just couldn't see why Clark growing up on Planet Smallville could have any interest in such a selfish girl let alone still be longing for her after fighting seventy years in the galaxy. It was unbelievable to Aisha that after saving Lana Lang's life time and time again the girl just couldn't accept Clark's explanation when he told her some things about him just have to remain private. It was even for the girls own good. Knowing the secret on a backward planet like Smallville was dangerous after what Clark had told her about what Pete Ross when through.

Having lost the her world and family as a thirteen years old girl to the Clove Aisha understood just how much Clark missed his ordinary but satisfying life in Smallville. Aisha lost her world to the Clove and was now fighting the Clove so there was some poetic justice in her tragedy. But Clark didn't even have that to hold on to in battle.

Clark had lost his world not to a physical enemy that he could fight but to something abstract, his emotions. Thor-el had told Puss'n'Boots who passed it on that if Clark hadn't been in such danger in his adopted home due to the threat to his life of a broken heart he would have left Clark on Planet Smallville to live a happy and uneventful life.

At the end of it the reason Clark lost his world was not due to an dark enemy like the Clove but due to a girl named Lana Lang. The irony was Clark couldn't even hate Lana Lang for destroying his world like Aisha had the Clove to hate. Clark actually had to live with the reality of being love with the women that forced Thor-el to take Clark away from his family and home. When Aisha thought of Clark's demons she was surprised that the attacks caused depression rather than insanity from having to live in such a terrible situation.

Aisha's thoughts on Clark's dilemma were more emotional than logical but that didn't change her final conclusion. Lana Lang simply didn't deserve to exist in a universe that had someone as good as Clark Kent in it.

Aisha could hear Clark's voice in the back ground as she reached her conclusion. "Aisha I really would like to hear your perspective. What do you think of the life of a teenage alien marooned on Planet Smallville?"

Aisha gave Clark a smile that didn't reveal any dark plans for Lana Lang. "I think you were very lucky to have been found by the Kents. Also Pete Ross and your brother Ryan are as nice as Puss'n'Boots told us. Finally I am happy that you and Whitney are no longer sparing over this Lana Lang but are out here surrounded by friends in space. Even if it is in the middle of a bloody galaxy wide war."

Aisha paused for a moment before asking, "However I just don't understand why you remained friends with this trio of Lex Luthor, Chloe Sullivan and Lana Lang. The three of them are just not the same sort of people as Whitney, Pete Ross and the Kent family. You saved their lives time and time again and instead of being grateful they investigated, betrayed and rejected you. It just doesn't make sense to me."

Clark knew Aisha was going to ask that question. He heard it time and time again from everyone from friends like Puss'n'Boots to all of his previous lovers he had been with over the last seventy years. The number of women Clark had been involved with in seventy years of war numbered in the hundreds. Of course every single one of them ended up asking him that question. Why after the investigations, betrayal and rejection did he remained friends with Lex, Chloe and Lana. Well they were at least his friends until that day that he left Smallville to fight the Clove.

There was only one person that never asked him why. That was the one who found him. Only the one that was like him. Thor-el never asked Clark that question because he all ready knew the answer. Thor-el knew about the power and danger of love when it came to the emotions of a son of Krypton.

And love was a lot of things to a son of Krypton but logical wasn't one of them.

Clark started his answer, "Aisha everyone asks me that question except for Uncle Thor-el because he is a son of Krypton. I know it's a poor answer and hard to understand but the truth is it is due to Krypton super emotions. I bonded with Lex, Chloe and Lana when I was young as my powers were just developing. I just can't let those feelings drop away. I have to hope. I have to believe that they are good and this behavior from them was just temporary or something at the time they just couldn't control. I just can't accept or live with their behavior to me being a conscious choice."

Clark sighed and gave her a bitter sweet smile, "Aisha I have to believe in the best in people. Even from friends that haven't always been the best to me. It is just what I am. If I couldn't continue to believe that they are good friends that just hit a rough patch my depression attacks would have killed me long ago. It is my eternal hope that in the future Lex, Chloe and Lana will once again be my friends that keeps me alive."

Aisha could accept that when it came to the investigation and betrayal of Lex Luther and Chloe Sullivan but she just couldn't accept that Clark was still in love with Lana Lang. A girl who when measured by any standard, on any planet in the galaxy, simply wasn't up to Clark's weight.

"Ok Clark, it's not like I really expected to understand it. I just hope the fact that you have so many friends out here in space that are true to you helps you cope with being so far from your adopted home. In Smallville you had to hide being a hero but in Fleet you don't have to hide anything. We are all here for you."

The conversation was getting a little awkward so Aisha broke into a little bittersweet smile to defect attention away from the topic of Clark's so called friends back on planet Smallville. "Clark I do want to thank you for your concern over my emotional and mental health after the battle on Planet Tiberious but please believe me when I say I don't need to talk to anyone. I do appreciate your offer and it's nice to have the option if the need arises but it really is ok."

Aisha rose out of her chair and gave a little sigh. "If that is all Clark I think I should get down to sick bay and visit Sim. Today she is starting the rejuvenation process to grow back her arm and we all know how much that hurts. Also we all know how irritable a Kzin can get when they are stuck out of the action being put back together."

"Ouch!" Clark said with a smile, "I will never forget the hell I went through when I had to have my two legs rejuvenated. Give her my best and let her know I will drop by a little later after my bridge watch."

Aisha came to attention and Clark gave her a look, "Aisha I said at ease…"

Aisha explained, "The 'at ease part' finished with the end of our talk. Now it's time I went back to being an Ensign and you went back to being a Captain."

"Ok but only until I deliver the Wolverine to the dry dock dogs on Planet Tanegli. Then I will be formally relived of command and go back to just being a fighter jock wing commander in the Crows." Clark added, "And don't forget you are only an Ensign until the paper work for your promotion to Lieutenant catches up to the ship."

Aisha saluted and quickly turned to slip out the door into the corridor. Clark walked to the door and watched her disappear down the corridor to the circular ladderway and ignored an illogical desire to chase after her.

Also it never dawned on Clark that Aisha never did promise not to hurt Lana Lang.

Aisha while walking to sick bay in her mind ran through her rather intimate and very personal conversation with Clark. It was just so hard for her to be objective when it came to Clark Kent. He was just so terribly male. Terribly wonderfully male.

Aisha knew that along with super powers comes a super sex drive and Clark had in seventy years fighting in the galaxy had been involved with hundreds of lovers. At the Star Fleet Academy her tactical Professor Paks had been one of Clark's lovers during the time Professor Paks was on active fleet service. One evening at a graduation party Professor Paks had one or two too many drinks and being in a wistful mood had told Aisha that being Clark Kent's lover had been one of the most satisfying relationships of her life. But there were, of course, strings attached to being in an emotional relationship with Clark Kent.

The first of which was simply the emotional relationship would always be one sided. Due to Clark Kent's super emotions there was no way that a women could love Clark as much as he loved her back. Even in a one night stand being a son of Krypton Clark would fall deeper in love for a single night than any species in the galaxy could in a wildly passionate monogamous marriage of fifty years.

It was a dilemma that every one of Clark's lovers had to accept. Clark was always going to love them more than they could love him. Now for most women this was not a big issue. Being loved by the hero of the galaxy with his super emotions was a pretty nice thing.

So even though most women could accept having Clark so deeply love them; what they couldn't accept is no matter how powerful Clark's feelings were for them Clark would always love another woman more; and that other woman was the mysterious Lana Lang.

A woman in relationship with Clark Kent can deal with lot of things but always being haunted a ghost called Lana Lang was not one of them. Most women no matter how much they loved Clark would eventually end their relationship with him due to the long shadow Lana Lang cast over the relationship.

When Aisha got to sick bay Suli was already there chatting with Sim who had been lifted out of the regeneration tank by the Hivistahm doctors. Sim was not in the best mood having spent three days dealing with the nerves growing back in her left hand. However her mood got even worse after Aisha told both the Kzin twins about her conversation with Clark Kent.

Sim was livid, "It's unbelievable that this Lana Lang still has that power to hurt Clark. It's like time and space have no meaning to the girl…" Suli finished the sentence for her, "the human girl has no honor. I still can't believe that Puss'n'Boots didn't kill the unfeeling bitch when she had the chance." Sim snarled, "Remember Clark was still on Planet Smallville; the only thing that would stop a Kzin from killing such a despicable being is that it was too dangerous because Clark was too close to Lana Lang.

Aisha through a grim predator's smile said, "Well he is not close to her now but is going to be closer to her in the near future."

With a snarl Suli said, "He is not going to see her when he goes to see his Smallville family is he?"

"No, he will see just his friends and a few acquaintances but he can't go near Lana Lang. She is married to her human mate she picked over Clark and his emotions couldn't take it. Seeing her with her human mate could break his heart." Aisha's eyes narrowed, "However once he is back here with us in fleet with the Hivistahm doctors and Whitney to help along with millions of light years between him and Lana Lang it is a different story."

The Kzin twins looked at each other and their ears twitched in unison. Suli said, "That is an interesting analysis Aisha. Funny that we are exceptional scan techs that can track just about anything….." Sim finished their though, "including Clark's space speeder when we sneak a navigational beacon onto it. The same space speeder that Clark uses when he visits his adopted family on this unknown planet called Smallville that no one happens to know the navigational coordinates for."

The trio of emotional but honor bound aliens leaned forward as their conversation dropped to a conspirator's volume. Once the trio finished their planning the future of a dark haired girl fifteen million light years away in Metropolis was suddenly not looking so bright.

Two Weeks Later on Planet Tanegli:

All awards ceremonies had the same structure. Aisha as usual felt like an imposter as she waited for her name to be called. She wondered if everyone that was awarded a bravery medal on award day felt so far removed from the frame of mind in which they'd done whatever it was that got them in the position to be waiting for their name to be called.

Why did she feel strange to be standing here feeling numb and undeserving? Why had seeing the Conspicuous Gallantry metal: The Starmount with several additional bars on both Clark and Whitney's uniforms stricken her to silent awe when now knowing that they were going to pin one on her uniform made her just feel a sort of shamed confusion?

What was it that was bothering her? Why was it right for others but wrong for her?

'You don't deserve it' said her inner voice. You let your family be killed and your world destroyed. The only ones that deserve it were those that saved her in the Valley of Tamarrion. The ones that avenged her family while she was nothing but a lost orphan.

Aisha wondered why it just didn't feel right for her be standing in this spot just off of the stage. Was it that….if she became that person as honorable, then….then what? Then someone maybe even a cold cornered orphan in a valley waiting for the Clove to kill her might…. look up to Lieutenant Aisha the same way she looked up to Clark Kent. Might the universe expect her to be what the bravery metal made her seem? What then would the universe judge her ready for?

Aisha almost snickered at the thought.

"Lieutenant Aisha," for a moment she couldn't move and then one foot moved forward to make contact with the ground. Then for the audience what looked like a thirteen year old schoolgirl with shinning white skin and fly away hair and elf ears came forward across the stage. She stopped and came to attention in front of all seven feet of orange fur, fangs and two inch claws that made up the great Kzin warrior Chuut Ritt. She listened to him as Chuut Ritt with more growling that actual talking read out the citation. She then stepped forward and felt a slight pin prick as Puss'n'Boot's huge father leaned down to pin the Starmount on her uniform.

Aisha felt Chuut Ritt's whiskers on her cheek and a moment later she heard a low growl in her ear. "I am not entirely happy with the battle on Planet Tamarrion that leads you to being awarded this medal."

Aisha's blood froze in her veins as her eye's widened. What had she done now?

But then it was all ok, "Next time you end up cornered on an isolated planet fighting pirates make sure I am at your side. The youngsters shouldn't have all the fun."

"Next time I have pirates in my sights you are my first call Sir," Aisha saluted the huge Kzin and then smiling at her friends walked off the stage as Chief Abe cheered and standing beside him Clark Kent whistled while Puss'n'Boots and the Kzin twins roared.

Maybe she did deserve it. If Clark Kent, Chief Abe, Chuut Ritt and her Kzin friends believed in her why shouldn't she believe in her self. Coming back to her seat Aisha caught Clark Kent's eye; he was sparking all over with delight in her. And for a moment Aisha indulged herself with a moment's fantasy…. Clark and Aisha! Yes oh my yes.

Her friends had a long celebration that night in her honor but Clark had to leave early since he got the call that his space speeder was all ready and waiting on landing pad E7. Clark left his credit cube behind the bar to cover the celebrations as he slipped out to climb into his space speeder. He quickly did a systems check and plotted the course that would take him through several worm holes and collapse star jumps to finally arrive at his beloved Smallville.

What Clark didn't know was that even before he left the landing pad a small subspace beacon under his starboard wing was sending out a tiny impulse signal to the scan terminals of Suli and Sim.

Chief Abe, Aisha, Puss'n'Boots and the rest of his fleet friends waved and toasted him as he lifted off and then his space speeder accelerated into the stars. Clark Kent was finally returning to Smallville.

Suli leaned over to Aisha and the Kzin's long whiskers tickled her elf ears. "I just checked our scan stations with my remote. We have a signal. It's not strong enough for Clark to notice. In fact it's so weak only Sim and I will are good enough to track it.

The next holiday I think we all should take it together and our first stop is Planet Smallville to collect Lana Lang's head."

Aisha just whispered back, "Good!" The more Aisha thought about it the more she felt the universe would be a lot friendlier to all if Lana Lang was not in it. So now was the time to take the steps to bring about a series of events that would make the universe a nicer place.

The anonymous life of Lana Lang was going to come to an end. And with any luck having Kzin involved it would be a very bloody end.

What Aisha didn't know was she and the Kzin twins were not the only ones that wanted Lana Lang dead. And the others that were hunting Lana Lang were a lot closer to their prey.

Meanwhile ten million light years away the Intergang hitmen were closing in on the Smallville Musketeers. Who was going to save them?

To be continued as Part 51: The Return of the Hero: Murder in Metropolis!

PS Sorry about the update delay but usual stuff in the Sandbox. That's it for Space Opera for a while and the next story arch will be all Planet Smallville.

Fair warning: For this next story arch the action is going to go up a notch and the bodies are going to start pilling up.


	55. A Call To Arms Part 51

Part 51: The Return of the Hero: Murder in Metropolis!

Lana Lang was enjoying the tractor ride of her life. What made it special wasn't that she was on the Kent's old red tractor that Jonathan Kent devoted his life to keeping in running shape. And it wasn't that the Kent's old red tractor was plowing new furrows in a surprisingly random pattern in the back forty of the Kent's farm.

When Lana thought about it what was making this tractor ride special was she was nude and her legs were wrapped around a certain farm boy's waist like a python putting a springbok antelope on the menu. Also the fact that the Kent's back forty had been lying fallow for a season making it a pretty bumpy which helped driven home deep into her that special and bumpy are sometimes the same thing.

Clark was steering the red tractor around the field while trying to bring her off and not take out a fence at the same time. The plaid was gone and Clark was as naked as Lana and she had to appreciate the farm boy's focus. He kept murmured things in her ear in a strange language that she didn't understand let alone know was Kryptonian but they still sounded awfully wonderful and romantic to Lana Lang.

It was in the dizzying race of thought and feelings that always seemed to come to her in those moments building to climax that Lana admitted to herself that old habits really did die hard and that meant none of her sex tricks were willing to go to the grave just yet. It was all working until he started to tell her in English that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen let along had graced his bed.

Why did they always feel the need to talk to her? As she gave an inward groan and a grimace slipped onto her face which in the moonlight the man she was straddling couldn't miss. Sensitive and earnest Andy beneath her stopped moving as his hands dropped from her slim waist and his face flooded with concern.

Lana bit her lip to keep from laughing. She could shag like a tragasauas rex on acid so why did they always feel the need to treat her like porcelain doll? It was almost as irritating as when they talked to her.

Lana knew if she was going to orgasm it was going to be from what was happening between her ears not between her legs but she did need her props to get it happening. So she bowed her head to his ear and whispered, "No, don't stop Andy, you're doing fine." She ran her tongue along the side of his neck to prove her sincerity and tasted his sweat. Andy having the most beautiful girl on earth smile at him moaned and Lana rocked her hips to encourage him. That did it and his hands returned to her hips to help keep a steady rhythm.

Then just as it was coming together for Lana Andy had to spoil it by opening his mouth to again tell her that he thought she was so beautiful, that he thought she was the sexiest women on earth. The problem was that Lana Lang didn't care what Andy thought and the fact that he kept talking made her irrationally and passionately angry.

To silence him and to get out of his bed room and back onto the red tractor with Clark she needed him to shut up. So Lana kissed him hard and then bit his lip pulling it with her teeth trying to steal both his breath and her own.

Lana had found him in a trendy little place called Rodney's oyster bar. She had ordered a glass of chardonnay and a half dozen Prince Edward Island oysters on the half shell while he was sitting across the bar working on a dozen of New Brunswick's finest. She squeezed some chilled lemon juice onto her PEI oysters to stun them just before very provocatively sliding them down her throat. A quick glance around Rodney's told her after that swallowing performance she could have any man or half of the women sipping apple martinis and eyeing her legs in the joint.

It was Andy however that caught her eye and all it took for him to abandon his gaggle of friends was a quick smile and a raised eye brow. He'd been charming, reasonably witty and easy on the eyes. He said he was in the word game claiming to be an editor. Andy was just the diversion Lana was looking for to kill a few hours with wine, oysters and acrobatic sex while waiting for Chloe to put her story to bed at the Daily Planet.

After they finished the oysters and pleasantly lit on Chimay White Lana slipped one arm around Andy's waist and let the fingers of her free hand touch his throat, then whispered in his ear, "I hope you live alone."

"Or else?" Andy had stammered.

"We will have to rent a room."

Andy had lived alone and even better nearby. There would be plenty of time before Chloe would have her story finished and want to meet for a late drink.

Lana was hungry and aggressive and demanding to get back on that tractor with Clark running around in her head. Andy was doing his best to keep up but Lana was going to climax come hell or high water so he did his best but faded a bit at the finish. He honestly felt like his pelvic bones had been pounded into talcum powder as he withdrew from her and then collapsed beside the most beautiful nymphomaniac he had ever had in his bed.

"That was really something Alicia. There is not going to be an encore performance until I see a doctor and get an all clear."

She whispered in a husky voice, "tractors are wonderful things and I had a lovely time…"

"Tractors? What do you mean, had?" he turned onto his side so he could take in her stunning profile. "There is no way Alicia you leaving. I can make some lemon tea and we can laze around for a few hours exchanging secrets."

Lana gave him her sorry smile, "Sounds wonderful but I have to meet a friend."

Andy looked hurt, "Come on Lana don't break my heart so tell me are you leaving to meet another man?"

Lana stiffened and Andy dropped his eyes, "Guess I just made a mistake there didn't I?"

"Yes you did, how do you know my name?"

"Why do you tell men in bars your name is Alicia Baker?"

"I have my reasons and I asked you first."

Andy brushed his hair back off his forehead. "You are so very beautiful and there is nothing that lights up the front page of the Daily Plant like stories written by Chloe Sullivan on the most promising prosecutor in the DA's office taking down another member of Intergang." He paused for a moment, "Also being so beautiful they make sure there always is an excuse to publish a photograph of you on the steps of the courthouse."

Lana sighed, "Is it really too much to ask of a city of ten million to be able to remain anonymous."

Andy gave her a sympathetic smile, "When a crusading prosecutor in the district attorney's office looks like a super model your face gets known. Also giving all the best quotes to Chloe Sullivan is no way to stay off the front page."

Lana snorted, "Chloe Sullivan and I have known each other for years. She is even my roommate and makes me the best coffee in the world every morning so I have to give her the best quotes."

"How about giving me the second best quotes?"

Lana felt a twinge of "looking for Mr. Goodbar" panic. Who was Andy? She concentrated her mind's eye and it carried her to a recent press conference and there Andy was in the front row. "I should have recognized your name let alone your face being you are that Andy; Andy Crocker the crime reporter at the Metropolis Star and Chloe's biggest competitor."

"Guilty as charged."

"So was this whole thing an attempt to pump me for a story?" Lana winced, why did she have to say pumped?

Andy just smiled at her choice of words, "No, don't you remember? You picked me up. I just recognized you from all your pictures in the Daily Planet." Andy had a questioning look, "Look Lana I have had a crush on you along with every other man in the city ever since your first press conference? I was just curious and then pleasantly surprised when you hit on me in Rodney's as Alicia Baker."

Andy tried his most sincere look, "Don't worry about what happened tonight. It's just between us. This incredible experience is off the record." Andy gave a little laugh, "Which just means it won't make it into the pages of the Metropolis Star. That doesn't mean I am not going to tell every guy at my local that I know what Lana Lang looks like naked but don't worry, no one will believe a guy like me ever had a woman like you in my apartment let alone bed."

Lana felt a little rush of relief. Being a successful trial lawyer her internal lie detector told her Andy was telling the truth. "Thanks and sorry about lying to you. I just use the name Alicia Baker to avoid complications on evenings when I do things like this."

"That's ok; Alicia is a nice name just like Lana. So is there a real Alicia in your life?"

Lana felt a little punch in her gut. "There was an Alicia a long time ago when I was going to high school in Smallville."

"Was she important to you? Is that why you use her name?"

Lana answered, "No, she wasn't that to me. She was important to someone else who was very important to me. I was always jealous of her since she got what I always wanted, she got to marry him."

"Do you mean Clark?"

Lana was completely stunned but managed to get out, "How did you know that?"

Andy smiled in reassurance, "No, it's nothing weird. It's just Clark is what you kept groaning in my ear when you had an orgasm."

Lana really felt sheepish, "I am so sorry about that, please forgive me."

Andy just shrugged it off, "Just forget it but don't expect me to forget what Lana Lang looks like having an orgasm. This Clark must have really been something. I expect he and this Alicia Baker are still married and I am guessing he broke your heart?"

"Actually Alicia was killed back in high school just a few days after marrying Clark. He was devastated and I didn't even tell him I was sorry about him losing Alicia." Lana tried to think of a way to explain it, "He did break my heart but to be honest I think I did most of the damage in our relationship. He disappeared seven years ago and I haven't seen him since."

Just then Lana's mobile beeped out an SMS message arrived. She slipped out from under the covers and walked over to where her clothes were flung over a chair. She picked it up and read the message. It was Chloe telling her that she had finished the story and wanted to meet at the little bar called Spirits around the corner from the Daily Planet for a late night drink.

"Is that your friend?" Andy asked.

"Yes, actually my friend I am meeting is none other than your competition at the Daily Planet."

"So you are meeting the intrepid Chloe Sullivan this late at night. Don't tell me; she was working. How about you tell her you are tired and just stay here and drink tea while I massage your calves."

Lana answered with a dazzling smile, "No, its sounds great but to be honest I always sleep alone. I am sorry but I have to go."

"Are you sure?" Andy wanted to delay Lana Lang from disappearing from his bedroom as long as possible but every Mr. Goodbar that Lana had ever met tried this same delaying tactic. She began putting on her clothes, dressing with a practiced speed that came from being naked in front of a stranger too many times before.

"Sorry I can't stay but I did have a lovely time," she smoothly lied.

"Me too, in fact more than I can say." He pushed himself up on one elbow, "I would love to do it again sometime."

She finished putting on her clothes and was looking for her black pumps. "I'm sorry but I am not looking for a relationship so this is just a one time thing."

"I guessed you might say that but I don't mind it being just for……..could we call it relief of sexual tension?"

"I'm sorry Andy but I was serious when I said I wasn't looking for a relationship."

"Having sex with someone is not a relationship."

Lana knowingly answered, "It is when you do it enough times with the same person. Sorry but I don't want to hurt anyone ever again and if I sleep with anyone male or female more than once they always end up getting hurt."

Andy surrendered, "I guess you are right. I feel even after just a couple hours I am already in the danger zone with you."

"That's why I never stay the night and always sleep alone."

"Lana can I give you some advice before you leave?"

Lana inwardly rolled her eyes. She really didn't want to hear another lecture on emotional distance and random sex addiction but was polite, "Sure, just don't expect me to take it."

Andy was deadly serious, "I know the money laundering trial where the former accountant of Intergang is the star witness is two weeks away. You and Chloe Sullivan have been taking a real chunk out of Intergang over the last year. I know you think they won't risk killing someone working in the district attorney office but I wouldn't be so sure. Just do me and all the men in Metropolis a favor and be careful. I have heard rumors that Intergang is bringing in from overseas a Russian assassin for a big job. I don't want that job to be you and Chloe Sullivan."

Lana tried to reassure him and at the same time reassure herself, "Thanks for the warning but I really don't think Intergang is desperate enough to do a hit on a public prosecutor and the daily Planet's crime reporter. It's just too high profile." She smiled, "I do think our star witness, the accountant is in danger which is why she and her family are in protective custody. But I don't think you have to worry about be. After all I have the three Musketeers of Smallville covering my back."

Andy gave her a puzzled look but then decided not to ask Lana what she meant by the three Musketeers of Smallville. He figured it was inside code for some of Lana's friends helping her take on Intergang.

"But the three Musketeers in Paris with swords vs an exKGB killer with modern weapons is not having your back covered. Your three Musketeers need to be better armed than with rapiers and a smile. Look will you just do me a favor and consider it. You really need to lay low for the next three weeks." Andy laughed at her, "Of course if you want to lay low here in my apartment that's ok with me."

Lana laughed with him. Why do men just never give up? "Nice try Andy but for this girl this was my first and last visit. However for your concern you can count on a few direct quotes from me at the trial. It's about time I cracked the whip a little with Chloe since she is starting to take me for granted as a source."

Andy pulled on his boxers and walked Lana to the door. "Direct quotes? Now that is nice. Not the nicest thing you did for me this evening but still really nice."

Andy opened the door for Lana and bent over to kiss her cheek as he said, "If you change your mind Lana about seeing me again for indoor exercise you know where I live."

"Thanks for the offer but you know it's not going to happen."

"Yes I guess I do; that Clark must really be the man but you can't blame a guy for trying."

Lana squeezed his hand and stepped out the door to give Andy a little wave over her shoulder just before she turned the corner to the elevators. Andy was a sweet guy with a nice body but at the end of the day it was Clark Kent nude on a tractor riding around in her head that was her true lover this evening.

Lana answered the doorman's raised eye brow with a cheery smile as he open the front door of Andy's building and she stepped into the night. It was about five blocks to the Daily Planet building and then one more to Spirits, the bar where she would be meeting Chloe. Once there they would fill each other in on their respective days as they sipped wine together and she waved away all the drinks the men in the bar would be sending her.

Lana was glad she met Andy and she had a chance to burn off some tension before meeting Chloe. Chloe wasn't all that understanding of Lana's passionate sex drive and to be frank was scared that some day Lana would go home with a guy that was more into violence than excited about making love to the most beautiful woman in Metropolis.

The thought of another Chloe lecture on the dangers of "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" brought Lana's thoughts back to Andy Crocker's warning about Intergang bringing in an exKGB assassin. Lana didn't think Lucas Luthor was reckless enough to have someone in the District Attorney's office killed so for herself she felt reasonably safe but the same feeling didn't work for Chloe. Lana was pretty sure Lex was safe since he had a security team of exSAS operatives. And the thing that guaranteed Pete Ross's safety was that Intergang didn't know that he was feeding Chloe and her information on corrupt politicians out of the mayor's office. All logic pointed to the target being Chloe Sullivan.

Chloe was high profile but still a newspaper reporter was not the same as a public prosecutor. Lana didn't know what she would do if something happened to Chloe. Ever since that horrible day that Lana found Jason screwing a high school quarterback on their bed Chloe had been a god sent to the small town girl gone big city sophisticated.

Lana had few female friends other than Chloe since Tina Greer and Emily Dinsmore tried to kill her. Lana Lang was just too good looking for most women to feel confident enough to have her as a friend. Lana sighed; women just wouldn't feel secure introducing her to their husbands and boyfriends. To be honest other than Chloe the only female contact Lana Lang could count on was Karen Christopher, her assistant at work. That is other than being hit on several times a day by gay women in between all the guys hitting on her. Lana really didn't know how she could emotionally survive if something happened to Chloe.

With the thought that Chloe could be in danger in the forefront of her mind and would need a warning Lana Lang unconsciously quicken her pace. As she sped up Lana scanned the street for a taxi. Nice night to walk but the worry she felt over Chloe's safety brought on the decision to get to Spirits as fast as possible and than meant hailing a taxi. It was the fact that she quickened her pace and scanned for a taxi that helped Lana spot her tail.

He was tall. Well only about six feet but to Lana almost everyone was tall. He had on a dark trench coat with the collar up and a brown fedora pulled down low to throw dark shadows across his face from the street lights. Lana Lang had been staked by a lot of meteor freaks so knew to trust her instincts when the man in the trench coat quickened his pace to close in on her as she scanned the street for a taxi. He was definitely a tail, the bulge under the left arm was self explanatory and Andy Crocker's warning flashed through her mind. In one smooth motion Lana kicked off her Armani pumps and turned to run away from the closing trench coat shooter. She shot a quick look over her shoulder to find the trench coat shooter had now broken into a run and was trying to open his coat to get to the bulge under his left arm.

Lana turned and sprinted away and then turned down an ally hoping there was no broken glass as her silk stockings were the only protection for her tiny feet. As soon as she turned into the ally she realized it was a mistake. The ally was long and clear the whole way. Not even a trash can let alone a dumpster to hide behind. In a second Lana made her decision. When things look the most hopeless the best action is a bold one.

Lana turned and sprinted in the direction she had just come from the street. As she moved in one smooth motion she dug into her coat and came up with a black telescoping baton. Thank God for small mercies; Lana Lang had never stopped taking martial arts since being turned on to kick boxing by Lex Luther due to some aggressive frat boys back in Smallville. Now here in Metropolis Lana was a serious student of Muai Thai and in the last couple of years had added Filipino Kali stick fighting to her martial arts bag of tricks.

At a full spirit Lana snapped the telescoping baton open and a moment later the trench coat shooter came barreling around the corner into the ally. He was surprised not to have a clear shot down the ally into the back of a running woman. The sight of Lana running at him in a full sprint brought him skidding to a halt.

It was the silencer that saved her. As trench coat shooter reached under his left arm for the low velocity loaded Walter PPK with a long silencer screwed into the barrel for quiet killing. When he tried to quick draw the pistol he snagged the silencer on his Burberry trench coat. It was those few seconds that allowed Lana Lang to close the gap and put to use all those nights in the dojo waving around rattan sticks as her old Filipino teacher turned her into a Kali stick fighter.

Lana Lang continued to close the distance as the surprised professional killer tugged at his snagged weapon. She reeled it in and before he had his shot indexed to her had both arms on the telescoping baton locked open, holding it low and to her right. Lana brought the baton up hard scything at his wrist and trench coat shooter screamed in surprise. The Walter PPK supporting the long silencer of a professional killer went off with a puff sound of a BB gun as he dropped it jerking his hand back reflexively due to the sudden pain of his wrist being broken. For an instant he just gaped at Lana Lang in disbelief.

He lunged at her and Lana smoothly dropped beneath his arms, thrusting the end of the telescoping baton up into his throat. Her Filipino teacher would have been proud of Lana's delivery. She heard him gag, stagger back and she came out of her crouch, turning, scything the black baton backhand, jabbing at his right temple. The killer's eyes snapped wide open and Lana punched with the tip of the baton a third time again going for the throat. This time Lana felt his trachea give under the tip of the baton as she crushed his windpipe.

It was over but she was on automatic as all those hours in the dojo practicing came home to her in an ally in Metropolis. As he was falling she hit him again in a forearm blow on the left temple for good measure.

Later the coroner would tell her the trench coat shooter was dead before he hit the ground. Lana started to run but then caught her self as she fought the adrenaline rush down. Instead she had her mobile out and was dialing 911 as she cleared the ally. It was only a few moments before a squad car of a couple of Metropolis's finest were on the scene. They had been answering another call as back up and were only a block away when the emergency dispatcher forwarded Lana's call for help.

The police recognized the most beautiful prosecutor in the district attorney's office.

"Ms Lang, are you ok?"

Lana gestured into the ally. "I just killed a man. He is in there."

The policemen pulled her to the side and checked the ally. All they found was a dead man with a bloody throat and temple lying beside a silenced Walter PPK that had one shot fired.

"Ms Lang, did you touch this gun?"

"No I used my telescoping baton, the gun is his."

"Don't worry Ms Lang that means it's only his prints on the gun so even with no witnesses this is an obvious self defense." The second policeman recognized the dead killer as an Intergang member and after that as far as the police were concerned Lana was in the clear.

Lana immediately called Chloe to let her know about the attempted Intergang hit. She warned Chloe to either stay in the bar in the crowd or if she had to she could try to get to the Daily Plant building and then go to the roof. From the roof Lex could send a helicopter to pick her up.

Chloe quickly vetoed that idea and instead said she would meet Lana at the police station for her statement and of course moral support and the incentive of an exclusive interview for tomorrow's Daily Planet front page story on the attempted murder of Lana Lang crusading public prosecutor.

Lana rolled her eyes; there never was any chance of stopping Chloe. Quickly Lana told Chloe about Andy Crocker's warning about Intergang bringing in a exKGB assassin. Chloe thought the obvious target was Lex but acknowledged that all Smallville's Musketeers were in danger. Chloe said she would call Pete to fill him in while Lana called Lex.

It was on the way to the police station that a terrible thought crossed Lana's mind. What if it was not only the Smallville musketeers that were being targeted by Intergang? Her assistant in the district attorney's office, a young lawyer assisting her on the Intergang money laundering case could also be a possible target.

Lana tried to remember where Karen Christopher said she was going to be Friday evening as she dialed her number. Karen had been having relationship problems and was involved with a very emotional artist that didn't understand the long hours that lawyers were expected to put in working in the district attorney's office. Lana was sure that Karen told her she was going out with her lover for a special night of dancing and drinking to try to get some romance back into their relationship.

Now where would a gay lawyer and her artist girlfriend be on a night out on a Metropolis Friday night? Lana knew most of the gay bars in Metropolis having a few years ago gone on a several month period of experimental sexual safari.

The logic that drove Lana to try women was that sex with men was just too much trouble since the men just couldn't be relied on to keep sex just physical. Men always fell in love with her which meant with the ghost of Clark in the background they ended up emotionally shattered. The guilt of leaving a string of broken hearted men alternating between staking and suicide mode behind her finally drove Lana to give women a try.

Then once again irony again raised it's sarcastic head when one night stand after one night stand with hardcore lesbians turned into a tragic romantic serial in the from of multiple butch dykes crying like school girls on her door.

The simple fact was that falling for Lana Lang was the easiest and worst thing that could happen to a human's heart and that included both men and women.

Lana dialed Karen's mobile, the phone was ringing and ringing as she waited for Karen to pick up. Lana's heart fell through the floor when Karen picked up crying. In between sobs Karen choked out her tragic story. She was ok but her girlfriend was dead.

They had been at the Duchess, an upscale gay bar in downtown metropolis. Karen thought they were going to fix their relationship with a fun night on the town while her artist girlfriend's plans were for 'welcome to dumpsville, population you!' After the expected frightful public scene of screaming and name calling Karen had run out of the Duchess and into the street with her now former lover running after her in the middle of the usual "lets stay friends" speech.

A black sedan had pulled up to her standing on the side walk and a short ugly barrel of an Uzi appeared. Karen was sliding from sobbing in hysterics as she told Lana how her girlfriend who had just dumped her had stepped in front of the Uzi to take a half a clip which literally blew the slim girl into confetti.

Ten minutes later Lana arrived at the Metropolis police station. A few minutes after her arrival Chloe came running into the station with Lex. The two of them swung into emotional support mode with Lex's eyes filled with concern and Chloe's open arms for hugs. After they checked her over the three of them went into the interrogation rooms for Lana to give her a statement.

After Lana gave her statement she stepped into the hall. Chloe took a hold of Lana's hand. She couldn't believe what Lana had done when the hitman attacked her.

"I can't believe that you were able to stop him with just that black telescoping baton?"

Lana with a sideways glance said, "Now are you finally going to start coming with me to martial arts class. Learning how to use Filipino Kali to defend with a baton is a lot easier than unarmed fighting."

"No I think I will stick to mace, screaming and running like a girl," answered Chloe. "Lana…what you did, what you had to do tonight to survive. If you want to talk about it, let me know."

Lana just looked at the concern in Chloe's eyes, she was so lucky to have this woman as her friend. "Thank you, that means a lot but I've kill before Chloe and both times it was like this. Happened so fast I didn't have time to think about it. I will do my crying later."

Chloe gave Lana's shoulder a little squeeze. "Ok but if you need to talk, I am always available."

Lex joined them from where he had been talking to the police officer in change. "They told me your legal assistant is down in the interrogation room at the end of the hall. They just finished with her. I want to take her and you to back to my penthouse for at least tonight. This might not be over."

From Chloe came, "Good idea!" While Lana smiled, "Thanks Lex, we will have a plan by morning and I don't want Karen to be alone tonight."

Karen Christopher was as expected emotionally shattered. It was going to be a long night for every one except Pete Ross. He was staying in the sidelines since Intergang didn't know that Pete was one of the Smallville Musketeers dedicated to bringing Intergang down.

Lex, Chloe, Lana and a devastated Karen Christopher spent the night at Lex's penthouse surrounded by a dozen exSAS body guards. Lana spent most of what was left of the night curled up comforting a heart broken girl while Chloe worked on the story of the professional killing and attempted murder on her laptop.

In the morning Lex arranged to have them taken over to the city morgue so Karen could identify the body of her murdered girlfriend. Lana had wanted to save Karen the emotional distress of seeing her girlfriend's corpse so soon so volunteered to go do the identification her self. However when she raised the issue to Karen, her assistant insisted that she had to personally go.

"Would you like me to come with you or would you prefer it to be private?" Lana asked Karen.

"You'd do that?" naked relief filled Karen's face as she looked at Lana. Lana nodded.

"Of course I will," Lana glanced at Chloe and Lex and as expected got the quick nod. "And so will Chloe and Lex, if you don't mind."

"I thought I would have to go alone. We are both from the Bible belt and neither of us has any family still talking to us since we came out."

"We are your friends and if you allow us for today your family."

An half an hour later due to the expected efficiency of Lex the four of them was standing in the city morgue. It was cold and creepy and the sharp order made Lana's nose itch. The attendant checked his clip board and then reached forward. A small door swung open and a draped form emerged so smoothly it seemed magical.

Lana had to ask once more, "Do you want me to do this Karen? You can wait outside? Chloe and Lex will go with you and I can take care of things in here."

"No I have to do it. She…jumped in front of me," Karen's voice quivered. "She died for me." Karen started to tremble as if she were trying to cry but was too exhausted.

"She was very brave," Lana said. It never hurt to praise the dead to those still living but still dying a little.

"But I thought she loved me. And then after what she said I thought she didn't. Then she died. For me. So she must have…." Karen looked at Lana almost pleading.

Lana wished Karen was small enough to pick up and hug and rock to sleep. That's was she needed now rather than looking at a corpse in the morgue.

"She did love you," Lana said firmly. "I could see that. Every time on Friday she came to the office to pick you up for lunch in the park. When ever you two had a fight and then made up I could see the relief in her eyes that you were still in her life. Whatever happened, she did love you. And she proved it in the end."

Lana reached forward and pulled back the sheet and exposed the face. It had been less than twenty four hours and no one had worked on the body to clean it up or try to reshape and recolor the face. The dead body look just that: dead. Lana knew that under the rest of the sheet the marks of where the heavy 9mm slugs tore into flesh would be even more shocking.

Karen had given one sharp gasp as the reality of it hit her.

"It's so….ugly," Karen said. "Her hair's all dirty and bloody…" She reached forward and touched the blond hair matted with dry blood, her hands were shaking.

"She had beautiful hair," Chloe said. Lana glanced at her. She couldn't remember Chloe ever meeting Karen's girlfriend before last night. But now Chloe was watching Karen, "Lovely hair and if you cut yourself a lock, over on this side, it's just as clean and lovely as it ever…."

Karen's hand went out again and then she turned and grabbed for a hand, anyone's hand. Lana was there to take it and put an arm around Karen's shoulders.

"I am so sorry," and she meant it. "You have seen enough now, haven't you. Now you must use your mind's eye and remember her smiling and laughing in the sunlight with you in the park. The way she did when you met for lunch on Fridays."

"I…yes Lana but that's not the point." Karen trembling was still trying to stay in control. "She died for me; the least I can do is look."

Lana was a little surprised in spite of her self. She had always been impressed with Karen as a person before, but death spooked a lot of people. Karen pushed away from Lana but Lex intercepted her.

"There is a right way, Karen. We will do it together." Lex said, "You loved her; we will all respect her body with you. You take that corner, Lana here and I'll go to Chloe on the other side."

When they lifted the sheet what lay beneath the drape met Lana's expectations. There was nothing subtle about half a clip of 9mm hardball. None of her beauty remained or any clue to her personality.

Karen standing straight with only a small tremor betraying her as she stared blankly at the evidence of a violent death care of an Intergang hitman. Then with Lana, Chloe and Lex's help Karen stretched the sheet across the body of her lover once more. She took one last stroke of her hand on that fire gold hair and Karen turned away with mouth set.

Chloe, Lana noted had clipped a single golden curl and folded it into a tissue. Karen might want it later. Or might not, Lana trusted Chloe to know whether to offer it or not.

The melancholy group left the morgue and stepped into a side office where Lex asked Lana to explain his plan to Karen. Karen fought and cried but Lana wasn't going to take no for an answer. Karen was off the Intergang case. She had done some great work but with only two weeks to go it was the home stretch and just not worth the risk any more.

Chloe phoned in the news that Karen Christopher was off the Intergang case and taking a leave of absence to the Daily Planet. It would be on the front page of the afternoon edition. That would protect Karen; if she wasn't on the case she shouldn't be a target. She had an understanding aunt estranged from the rest of the family that loved her niece, gay or not. Lex already had the plan in place and one of his four man security teams were going to take Karen to the airport. There one of the Lex Corp jets would file a false flight plan and fly Karen to hide out in the Florida Keys with her aunt.

Lex looked over at Lana and Chloe. Those two were just too much trouble to protect in Metropolis. He could probably hole them up in his penthouse which had a security system that would do Fort Knox proud. The problem was that he could keep danger out but neither Lana nor Chloe would be willing to stay put for two weeks in his penthouse.

Chloe would get an idea for story and hack his security system to sneak out to cover it. And Lana was even harder to protect. She would think up some legal angle to work on and would want to go over to the district attorneys office to brainstorm or check it out. Lana would do anything but stay safe, her track record with meteor freaks in Smallville proved that. She couldn't hack his security system but she had an even more sure way of escaping than Chloe. Lana would just bat her big brown eyes and lick her full lips and his exSAS security team would turn into a bunch of giggling virgin school boys.

Lex had already fooled Intergang into thinking the accountant star witness in the money laundering deal was in protective custody with the police when she actually was with her two children hiding out in the second wing of his penthouse.

Lex decided that he had to get Lana and Chloe out of Metropolis to some seriously isolated hideout and still play it like he had them all holed up in his penthouse behind the high tech security and the dozen submachine guns of his security team.

After hugs and more tears Karen had left with the security team escort for the airport and a private jet flight to the Keys. Lana turned to Lex and noticed more than one furrow appeared on his forehead which meant he was thinking.

"What is it Lex?"

"Ya, Lex you have that look in your face that means you are in deceptive plan mode," added Chloe.

Lex told them about his plan to decoy his penthouse while he sneaks them out of Metropolis to a low tech hideout with their star witness and her children.

"I hope you don't mean low tech as in Smallville?" Chloe shot back, "I have a job to do at the Daily Planet and Lana has a witness to prep for the trial. You have to keep the accountant in Metropolis."

Lex just smirked, "I thought of Smallville but there is too easy access. I have heard that this exKGB assassin is no joke and to him Smallville is a joke. No, I am going to hide the three of you and the children a long way away from Metropolis in extreme isolation."

Lex cut Chloe off as she tried to butt in while Lana just waited for Lex to outline his plan. "The accountant and her children will be going so to do her job and prep the witness Lana has no option but to go into hiding with the accountant. And you Ms Sullivan if you want to get the inside story and maybe even a book deal you are going to have to forget about the day to day duties of a Daily Planet reporter and take a two week sabbatical to prepare the back ground work to cover the trial of the decade."

Lana knew Lex was right but complained a bit just to let him enjoy doing his protective big brother act he loved. While Chloe did her little dance of self righteous indignation spiced up with a hissy fit but Lex didn't budge. If Chloe wanted the whole story she had to go hide out in the boondocks with the public prosecutor and the star witness.

Lana tried to get Chloe to look on the bright side. "At least my star witness will have her kids with her. Maybe being around two little girls for a couple weeks will bring out your maternal side.

Chloe rolled her eyes and answered, "What I need is not a tent in the wilderness but a Starbucks close by on twenty four hour service. And I can't believe Lex you won't let me take my mobile phone."

Lex in his most serious voice answered her, "No mobile phones, they can be tracked. And don't fret about the coffee, it's a cabin not a tent. It's equipped with the finest Italian cappuccino machine in the world right in the kitchen. Also there is a land line with dial up internet access but you can't stay on the internet too long since there is only one line. I want you two always a quick phone call away."

"Bless the Lord!" said Chloe in her most sarcastic voice.

Pete agreed with Lex that out of town in isolation lock down was the best idea. For the rest of the day the Smallville musketeers with security team in tow sorted out the logistics, collected their lap tops, new batteries, a few magazines, couple novels and packed warm camping out kind of clothes. To anyone observing them it looked like they were going into lockdown at Lex's penthouse.

It was just after midnight that Lana, Chloe and the star witness with her two daughters all loaded into a helicopter on the roof of the Lex Corp building to fly to Metropolis air port. There another private jet with a fake flight plan filed would fly them to of all places: Idaho.

They were going to Custer County near a small town called Mackay almost in the center of Idaho. Lex owned a hunting cabin in the Lost River Range some way off Route 93. It was well equipped with food and a generator but hard to get to. There was going to be a 4x4 Jeep Grand Cherokee waiting for them at the air port in Boise, Idaho. After they collected the Jeep, Chloe, Lana, the accountant and her two young daughters would drive route 93 to MacKay and then about five miles north of the town leave route 93 to take the rough road that led to the hidden valley and Lex's isolated hunting cabin.

Lex wanted to send some of his security team with them but Lana and Chloe thought they would just draw attention. No one would suspect three women and two young girls traveling with out men as being wanted by Intergang. Lana and Chloe thought the best defense was being anonymous rather than drawing attention walking surrounded by huge men in dark suits, ray bans and firepower.

The plan was for Lex to keep his security team in place at mansion. They would keep bringing in private teachers, pizza and renting cartoon movies for the accountant's daughters. Even most of his security team still thought Lana, Chloe and the accountant star witness with daughters in tow were still holed up in Lex's penthouse.

With luck Lucas would spend all Intergang's time and resources trying to find a way to break security at Lex's penthouse. While Lana, Chloe and the accountant prepared their landmark case against Intergang in a hunting lodge situated in a remote valley in the Lost River Mountain Range of Idaho.

Lex had met Pete and filled him in on the decoy plan for protecting the girls and their star witness. Pete thought the plan was a good one and felt a sense of real relief that the girls were finally safe. It felt a little strange to Pete that he was the one who was always safe since Intergang had never broken his cover. It made him respect the decision even more that Lana and Chloe made to help take down Intergang since it put them in so much danger.

Lex invited Pete to come over to the Penthouse the next day for lunch to keep up the pretense that he was visiting Lana and Chloe but Pete had to make up a rather lame excuse. Lex didn't push it but for the first time in a very long time felt that Pete wasn't being completely honest with him. It couldn't be that Pete was meeting a girl since Pete wouldn't shut up about his love life to anyone that would listen. Lex dismissed it assuming that Pete would tell him the real reason in his own time. Besides he had a lot of other things to take care of besides the obvious of keeping Lana and Chloe safe in their remote hideout.

Pete was in a good mood when he went home that evening. Lana and Chloe were safe.

His current girlfriend was doing a girl's night out with her friends so all he had to do is rent Spiderman II which he had missed at the theaters due to his girlfriend insisting on they only go to foreign films about depression and death. A few beers and a movie about a superhero before crashing because he wanted to be bright and fresh for the next very special day.

In the morning he would run a few errands before going to the Metropolis Sharks game. Pete scored three tickets as ordered and was ready for a fun day of hotdogs, a few beers and hanging out with his oldest friend.

Pete couldn't tell Lex but a few days earlier he had got a subspace message that due to incredible Weave technology came in through a worm hole communications grid directly into earth's internet to arrive in Pete's hotmail email box.

Clark Kent was coming home and wanted to meet Pete at the Sharks game and then spend the day together. Clark had asked for Pete to pick up three tickets since he was bringing someone as a surprise. Pete didn't know who he was going to meet tomorrow but at least he would be seeing Clark after over two years of silence from his friend fighting a war in space.

So to be honest for Pete, life was looking good.

The problem about everything that was currently happening on Planet Smallville was that the Smallville Musketeers were underestimating Intergang.

Lex didn't suspect that Intergang had penetrated his security team and knew their targets were not in his penthouse.

Chloe and Lana didn't realize that a remote cabin in the Lost River Range of Idaho wasn't as off the beaten track as they thought.

Pete didn't suspect that Intergang had busted his cover months ago.

And what Lucas Luthor and Intergang didn't know was a Weave space speeder flying to earth piloted by a Metropolis Sharks fan who was going to be one huge money wrench in Intergang's plans for killing the Smallville Musketeers.

Earth appeared on the scope as the space speeder came out of it's final collapse star jump. The pilot smiled and pulled on his Metropolis Sharks baseball cap. He was really looking forward to a cold beer with Pete and the Metropolis Sharks kicking some ass.

What Intergang didn't know was it wasn't only going to be the Metropolis Sharks kicking ass tomorrow in Kansas.

Next Day:

Pete hadn't felt so good in a long time. He slept like a baby with a few cold ones in his belly and Spiderman II turned out to be quite the ride. Maybe even better than the first one and with sequels that's rare. Pete just had to laugh out loud; reality was stranger than fiction. Here he was going to a football game to watch the Metropolis Sharks play with someone that was a bigger real life hero than the comics in their fantasy world ever made Spiderman.

It had been too long since he had seen Clark and he needed this. He needed to reconnect with the returning hero and the greatest friend in his life. And from talking to the Kents and from the tone of the email that magically due to Weave technology ended up his hotmail box sent from some star system far away he was sure that Clark needed it to.

After seventy galaxy years of war Pete knew that even Clark Kent, the best of the best was getting strung out. Clark had emailed Pete that the Weave had recently liberated several planets deep in Clove Space and had found a true horror show on them.

Clark hadn't told him exactly what it was but to Pete it sounded like long term death camps aka Nazi style concentration camps or Stalin style Gulags. Clark didn't go into detail but if he needed to talk it out Pete was going to make himself a ready ear.

But for today it would be just hotdogs, cold beer and football. Pete was hoping the surprise guest was Thor-el since they got along so well. The funny thing was Pete had seen more of Thor-el in the last seven years than Clark. Clark didn't make the trip to earth very often due to the Achilles heel of his super emotions and Lana Lang being on the planet. However Thor-el didn't have the same ice berg waiting for his emotional Titanic as Clark so Thor-el made the trip to earth on a reasonably regular basis to fill the Kents and Pete on all Clark related news.

Pete was grateful that every trip as far as he knew Thor-el would also take the time to drop in and personally keep Pete in the loop. It on was one of these trips that Thor-el let it drop that he was emotionally involved with Nell Potter and saw her every trip. Pete felt chills and it took Thor-el a while to calm him down with assurances that Nell Potter didn't know anything about him along with Clark being aliens.

Thor-el had told Pete that he was sure that Nell Potter knew he was different but she never asked for any explanations and didn't appear to feel the need to discuss it with him. He didn't do anything super in front of her but also never lied so it was more of a 'just don't ask' kind of relationship.

The whole thing struck Pete as weird. Nell Porter must be a very special kind of woman because every women Pete had ever met was incredibly curious about every single thing about the man she was involved with.

When Thor-el told Pete when he leaves Nell he just kisses her good bye and walks into the backyard of the Nell Potter's house to scratch the ears of Nell's border collie Gunner goodbye before flying straight up into space Pete really got confused. He really wondered if Nell knew the truth but was just keeping her mouth shut. Maybe Nell thought Thor-el was some kind of supernatural being like a ghost that takes human form and just appears? Pete gave his head a shake. He really has been spending too much time watching supernatural TV shows.

But it was strange that a couple years ago Chloe suddenly stopped interrogating him about Clark. It was also strange that he never got those strange looks of betrayal and longing from Chloe, Lex and Lana whenever they were together and as a topic of conversion Smallville or the Kents came up. They still spent a lot of time together but everyone appeared to be more relaxed about that thorn that had been in the side of the relationship between all of them ever since the day of Lex's barbecue when Clark disappeared.

For a brief moment Pete considered the possibility that Chloe, Lex and Lana knew Clark's secret. Maybe Nell figured it out and told Lana? Possible but not probable, Pete was pretty sure Nell wouldn't be telling Lana that a strange man appeared every several months at her door who looked twenty years younger than her and shagged her senseless for a couple days before disappearing. However it was strange that just out of the blue Chloe stopped asking him about Clark?

Any thoughts of the Smallville Musketeers slipped from Pete's mind as he pulled into the parking lot of the Metropolis Sky Dome home of the Sharks. Now was the time to think football rather than alien secrets.

What Pete didn't notice was a black Nissan Armada with blacked out windows parked several cars past him closer to the Metropolis Sky Dome.

Pete was pumped and feeling good as he checked his wallet to make sure he had the football game tickets. He was supposed to meet Clark and the surprise guest at the main gates. Pete was just even with the black Nissan Armada when he got the surprise of his life. He never expected to see him again after he left the football program at Smallville High but then he appeared calling Pete's name.

Pete looked in the direction of the calls and was stunned to see Lana's ex husband Jason Teague Lana's jogging over to him. Pete knew the whole ugly story from Chloe about Jason being caught with a high school quarterback by Lana in their bed. Pete was sympathetic to Lana when she told him her marriage failed but she never volunteered the breakup story. Pete guessed the reason she never discussed it with him was it was just too embarrassing. So Pete let sleeping dogs lie and instead just offered Lana a shoulder to cry on and let Chloe handle the details over long talks and tubs of ice cream.

Pete felt himself stiffen as Jason Teague came up to him. It's not that he had anything personally against Jason. The guy had been a great offensive football coach and as far as Pete was concerned sexuality identity was a personal issue. It just was in Pete's opinion any teacher that had a preference for students no matter what their sexual orientation was just creepy.

"Pete, Pete Ross I thought that was you. So are you going to the game?"

"Yes, just going to meet a few friends at the entrance before going in. I see you still like football," Pete kind of shifted uncomfortably as he rolled back on his heels. Pete hadn't heard anything about Jason since he resigned from his job as offensive coach for the Metropolis University Bulldogs under a cloud of a scandal that was never made public. He really didn't know what to say to him but then Jason took care of the topic of conversation.

"Pete I am glad I ran into you. I know you know that Lana and I split up and we kind of lost touch. I just happened to be moving to a new place and I found a box of her stuff and want to give it to her. I called her office but they won't tell me anything and she isn't listed. Do you know where I can find her?"

Without thinking Pete said, "She is not listed because she lives with…" Pete caught himself before he gave away that Lana was Chloe's roommate. "Well Lana shares a place and it's not under her name Jason so you are not going to find her in the book."

"But you know where she is, don't you Pete?"

Pete decided to be honest, "Look Jason you are Lana's ex husband and I don't know you that well and Lana is my friend. I don't know anything about your relationship with Lana and until I talk to her I can't tell you anything. I don't know what her feelings are about privacy when it comes to her ex-husband."

Jason's face turned tense, "Look Pete it's stuff from her parents. I am sure she thinks she took the box and it's in storage or in one of her closets. She probably doesn't even know I have it. You know how Lana felt about her parents. If you don't tell me how to give them to her I will just have to dispose of them."

This was not turning in the relaxing day Pete expected. "Why would you do that to someone you once cared for like Lana?" Then the solution came to Pete, "Ok I tell you what I will give you my number and after the game or tomorrow at your convenience I will come over and pick up the box and forward it to Lana."

Jason gave Pete a cold stare, "I have a better idea, my car is right here," he pointed over his shoulder at the black Nissan Armada that had followed Pete into the parking lot. "I can give Lana's box to you right now and you can leave it in your car and go to the game. Then just give it to Lana when you get a chance."

It was a solution and a totally believable explanation. And Pete totally didn't believe it but he couldn't think of a thing to say to keep from following Jason over to his huge SUV. There was something wrong but Pete just couldn't put his finger on it. Pete looked at the huge Nissan Armada with blacked out windows. What kind of single guy buys a car that you can transport an entire kid's soccer team. Especially a gay guy who is hardly the candidate for family man of the year.

Jason reached out and opened the rear door. It was just as he was pulling the door open that it occurred to Pete that Jason had just opened the door without unlocking it. Who leaves his expensive SUV unlocked in the parking lot of a sports area?

A moment later huge hands on muscular arms grabbed him and dragged Pete into the SUV. They went for his flailing arms. Pete trashed and threw a punch and then hit with his elbows when they closed in with their huge weight differential crushing him. He thought he caught one flush on the face with an elbow but a second later he was slammed onto the floor with a knee in his back and his arms forced around behind his back. He felt the handcuffs and a moment later heard them lock shut.

Pete tried to yell, the first time they kicked him in the kidneys and the second time was rewarded with a knee in the back of his head that bounced his face on the floor.

The Nissan Armada had the back seats taken out and there were custom made benches along the sides with built in lockers under them. There were men sitting on the benches. Pete didn't know how many since his face was pressed into the floor of the van. Hand felt first and then dug into his pocket to fish out his car keys. They were handed forward to someone. He heard the front door of the van open and someone slipped out closing it behind them. Pete guessed it was the driver for his car. They didn't want to leave his car at the scene of his kidnapping.

Pete was never all that religious but he started to pray that Clark had seen the snatch. It was a false hope that died within the first few minutes. If Clark would have seen the kidnapping he would have been coming through the side of the SUV in seconds.

Pete felt himself rolled over and came face to face with Jason Teague and anther older guy, obviously the leader. Jason Teague was holding a long whippy looking blackjack.

Jason snapped the blackjack for effect. "If you open your mouth Pete, try to yell, I am going to turn the lights on in your head."

"Fuck you, you prick!" A moment later Pete's head exploded as Jason slammed the blackjack into the side of his head. He was already on his knees but still felt them lose contact with the floor as he fell sideways through swirls of light. He thought he was going down but his inner ear fought for equilibrium and he managed to stay on his knees as he choked out, "How could you do this Jason? You used to be a good guy."

The blackjack whipped through the air a second time and connected to spin Pete's head the other way. Pete felt two of his teeth pop onto his tongue as his brain screamed 'what the hell is going on' at him. A moment later he hung his head down, opened his mouth and his two loose bloody teeth fell to the floor.

Jason looked mean, angry and completely without mercy. "I was more than a good guy. I was a great guy until that bitch Lana left me. No way to keep it quiet so they tossed me off the team and out of a job. It's because of her there is no more football for me but that's ok since I have found a new team that appreciates my moral ambiguity: Intergang."

Pete was more stunned to hear that Jason was working for Intergang than he was from the two blows from the blackjack. Pete tried to sit up but the handcuffs and the fireworks show in his brain were fighting every attempt to reach equilibrium.

Jason just laughed at him. "You know Pete I used to like you. Lex Luther was a rich asshole. Clark Kent was a fucking boy scout that couldn't keep Lana even when she threw herself at him. And Jonathan Kent was a self righteous hard luck farmer that wore his failure on his sleeve like it was the epitome of moral virtue to be dirt poor. Lana might have thought they were really something but they just made me sick. You however were just like me. Playing the hand you were dealt to do anything to anyone that crossed your path."

Pete's head felt as if someone had hydraulically pumped it full of toxic waste through his nostrils. "Fuck you, I am nothing like you. I would never sell out my friends."

Jason's face was simply an evil smile. "Maybe so Pete, not your friends but if some smalltown bitch used you for a ticket out of Hicksville and then ditched you once she arrived in Metropolis you might just find yourself in my shoes."

Pete was too beat up to come up with a clever riposte so just tried to spit on Jason but the saliva mixed with blood just dribbled down his chin.

A knock came on the side of the SUV and the door opened for a black package to be handed inside to Jason. Pete recognized it the Colt Agent handgun he kept in the glove compartment of his car.

Jason wearing surgical gloves laid down the blackjack and popped Pete's handgun open to gently pull one round out. He gave a low whistle, "Ooooo, glaser safeties," as he looked over the blue tipped bullet nestled in the brass case and imagining the clusters of lead suspended like bunches of grapes inside the lead jacket. "Whoa Pete, these nasty suckers make instant spaghetti out of your brains." He slipped the small handgun into his jacket pocket and picked up the blackjack.

The big man beside Jason joined the conversation. "Jason here says you are going to be one stubborn motherfucker, giving us grief the whole time. But you know what Pete, it doesn't matter. We are Intergang and we have plenty of time and no other place to be. And remember this Pete: Everyone always talks. When it comes to Intergang asking questions nobody's a hero."

"Jason is a piece of shit just like you. I am not telling you anything."

The big man yawned, "That is where you are wrong Pete. Jason here says you love Chloe Sullivan as much as he hates Lana Lang but that doesn't mean shit because you are going to talk." The big man held up a syringe. He smiled and then grabbed Pete by the side of the throat and emptied the liquid in the syringe into the other side of Pete's neck straight into a vein.

"Pete, your tongue is going to loosen now." Pete felt the prick of the needle and in a moment could feel the truth serum as it filled his veins.

Pete tried to fight while the big man talked him through it." Only the best for you Pete. This is very sophisticated stuff. Phenobarbital-B, an advanced compound and state of the art for interrogations of the hard cases. The kind of cases that can take a pistol whipping from a rogue FBI agent and smile back at you. But they can't fight this stuff. The harder you fight the more you talk. It is going to hit you like a freight train in about five minutes then after ten minutes you will start talking. And we are going to record every word…"

"And then it will be curtains for me," Pete injected, "well fuck you assholes."

The big man smiled, "Not just you Pete but also your friends. Also after an hour of singing like a bird the after effect hangover will hit. But don't worry about that. You won't live long enough to suffer the hang over and your friends will follow you soon enough."

Pete felt white hot hate as he started down the big man. Then as the drug took control he felt helpless handcuffed, on his knees being driven to his death. Next was nothing and then everything. Lights were still going on and off in his head but now the light show in his brain didn't hurt but instead was funny. He started to laugh. Pete felt his will to resist shredding. His will was draining away. In this state of weakness the only thing he felt was the yearning to please. To please anyone including the men with him in the back of this SUV.

He could hear Jason Teague's voice from far away. It felt like Jason was at the bottom of a well talking up at him. No that was wrong, it was he who was at the bottom of a well. Pete squinted as he looked up and saw Jason with light coming in around him hallowing his face like an angel.

'Who can say no to an angel?' Jason was a great football coach. And he only wants to give Lana the box of heirlooms that belonged to her parents. It would be just the kind of surprise that would brighten up Lana's day. To have Jason, her Paris dream man show up at Chloe's apartment to deliver a box of childhood memories in person. But that wasn't right. Chloe and Lana were away so how could Jason deliver Lana's box? Where were they? Just hold on, I will have it in a second. Somewhere up….'

Pete Ross never flinched when Dr Hamilton held a syringe to his jugular and threatened to kill him. Pete took the beating from the FBI agent at the side of a river that was going to be his grave without giving up even a hint. But Pete had never run into that advanced compound Phenobarbital-B. The first surrender in a torture chamber is the last surrender and pumped full of Phenobarbital-B was no different.

Jason in a hallo of light asked, "Come on Pete, Lana loved her parents. How can I give her the box without knowing where she is?"

Pete tried to find a way to resist but with the Phenobarbital-B flushing through his veins it was a losing battle. Really, what was the point of resisting? Lana wants the box of her parent's stuff. Not to let Jason deliver it was being both cruel and ridiculous. Why not just tell them what they wanted to know? After all everyone did.

"I…I…I can take it to her Jason, just give it to me."

"No, Pete I need to see Lana about some other things. You know Pete, talk things through. She got the wrong idea about me before. It didn't happen the way she thinks. I have to deliver the box to her so I can tell her the truth. You know how much she loved me in Paris. Once I tell her the truth how I still feel about her Lana can be happy again."

Pete tried to think about it in between the light show the Phenobarbital-B was putting on in his brain. "You can't make her happy, only Clark can do that?"

The big man gave Jason a look and Jason rolled his eyes back in response. "What do you mean? Are you talking about Clark Kent from Smallville? The same Clark Kent that disappeared seven years ago at the Luther barbecue. He deserted his friendship with Lana and anyone that runs out like that on a girl like Lana Lang won't be coming back."

Pete felt a wave of sadness; the drug was enhancing his emotions that related to empathy. "That is not true Jason, Clark had no choice. He had to leave Lana because she was going to kill him."

Jason started to raise his voice but the big man grabbed his hand and whispered, "Don't lose your temper and blow this, we are on a schedule. Play with it and then bring the conversation back to target the location of the witness."

Jason gave a positive nod to show he understood. "Come on Pete, how could Lana ever kill Clark Kent even if she wanted to. He is twice her size?"

Pete's head rolled from side to side as the drug played with his brain. "That's an easy one Jason, Clark more than anyone else is in love with Lana."

"What does that got to do with anything?"

Pete tried to look at Jason but only saw an angel with a hallo of shimmering light. "That's why Lana can kill him; because he loves her. The weakness of a son of Krypton is they can die from a broken heart."

"What is a son of Krypton?"

"Clark is a son of Krypton, you know, an alien from outer space."

The SUV full of Intergang killers broke into spontaneous laughter. "I think you went a little heavy with the juice and really loaded this boy up…..you fried his noodle…beam me up Scotty…"

Jason couldn't believe it. The idiot was talking about space aliens. Jason knew he had to get Lana's hiding place out of Pete or Pete wouldn't be the only one to serious shit today. Lucas Luther didn't forgive failure easily. All he needed was the hidey hole of his bitch ex wife and her blond friend that never liked him anyway and he would have both his revenge on Lana and the inside track to the good graces of Intergang.

"That's pretty funny Pete but Clark Kent the space alien is not here to deliver Lana's box so you have to tell me where she is staying."

Pete felt how much he missed Clark in his bones. The thought of his bitter sweet life on earth without his best friend combined with the drug washing through his system enhancing his emotions caused Pete to start to cry. Why hasn't Clark been in the parking lot to meet him for the football game? If Clark had have been on time then right now he would be with Clark watching the fame instead of surrounded by strangers and his old high school football coach. Pete felt so sad. Then he heard a far away voice that he recognized as Jason tell him how Lana would be so sad if she didn't get the box of her parent's stuff. He really didn't want Lana to be as sad as he felt so what could he do to make her happy?

Pete opened his mouth. "Lana and Chloe had to go out of town until the trial. Metropolis is too dangerous for them. Lex arranged it…." And with that first surrender he was gone. Pete talked and talked and talked. He couldn't shut up. Pete told them every thing from Lex using his penthouse as the decoy hiding place to Lex's idea of filing a fake flight plan while the Lex corp jet flew Lana, Chloe, the accountant and her two daughter to Idaho. The whole story just came out of him. It was like a purging. Then after giving up location of Lana, Chloe and the witness Pete still didn't stop and all the information he had about the plans of the Smallville Musketeers to take down Intergang came spilling out.

The Intergang senior man in the SUV, the big man, couldn't believe it. He was stunned by the organization and teamwork the Smallville Musketeers had in place for coming after Intergang. Lana Lang in the District attorney's office, Chloe Sullivan at the Daily Planet, Pete in the Mayor's office blocking the truth and feeling false information to the crooked politicians on the Intergang payroll. And to top it off the whole conspiracy against Intergang was being funded by Lex Luther lurking in the shadows.

This was a lot bigger than just killing Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan and the star witness in a money laundering trial. This was going to be one dynamite tape he handed to Lucas Luther. The big man was supposed to call it in but decided this was one tape he was going to hand to Lucas Luther personally. There was no way he was not going to take all the credit for flushing out the hidden threat of the Smallville Musketeers to Intergang.

The SUV stopped and Pete felt himself pulled out into the bright sunlight. The effect of the Phenobarbital-B was fading but he was still crushed by the drug and felt no will or pride only shame. The 'truth serum' hangover was coming and Pete felt the beginnings of a big league headache.

The big man was taking to Jason Teague and one of the other gang members. "Okay Teague, you know the drill. He is your buddy so you handle it. Butch you stay and help him with the suicide rig. When you are finished the two of you walk back to the main road. Just call and we will send someone to pick you up. We have a team of shooters operating in Grandville. They finished their job yesterday and are driving back to the city today. They will pick you up on their way back to Metropolis and be your ride. And don't forget; don't do it until he pisses. I have to get this tape back to the Boss ASAP."

Jason with a cruel smile answered, "You got it but don't forget to ask the Boss if I can be the one that settles the score with Lana Lang. Nothing would be sweeter that to blow that bitches head off while she begs for mercy."

The big man just shook his head. "I hear you. I've got two ex-wives myself but do you really think you are Daniel Boone and are going to hike in through miles of mountain country just to kill Lana Lang? Don't worry the Boss has the Russian Viktor Sidiak on retainer just for special jobs like this. Your old bitch is soon going to be a dead bitch and everyone with her."

Jason laughed, "Well I guess I have to settle for that and don't worry about Pete Ross; as soon as he pisses he is toast."

Except for Pete, Jason and the Intergang member Butch the rest of the gangsters climbed into the SUV and disappeared down the dirt road heading back to the highway. Pete looked over and saw his car. So that is why they fished his keys out of his pocket back in the parking lot. They wanted to bring his car with them. Even though he was crashing, coming down from the hit of Phenobarbital-B, Pete started to put it together. They were going to kill him.

Pete looked around. It was a rather beautiful place to be murdered. Completely deserted and nice and quiet at the edge of a broad green meadow that soon yielded to a swamp. There were trees around him and on the other side of the swampy area he could see the edge of a dense forest. Here in the fragrant morning Pete waited to die.

Pete turned to Jason Teague and the gangster called Butch. They were both eyeing him as if they were waiting for something. Pete twisted the cuffs but they would never give. He could run, but to where? No way across the swamp and they would just casually shoot him in the back if he set off at a dead run across the meadow.

"This is all wrong, I haven't done anything."

Jason had the cold hard look of a sociopath killer, "Fuck right or wrong Pete, you crossed the line. You should have taken the money when offered a first class ticket like the rest drones in the Mayor's office. Instead you crossed the line; the Intergang line. You been a-messin' where you shouldn't a been a-messing and now Intergang is going to walk all over you."

Then in less than a heartbeat the killer look dropped from Jason's face to be replaced by a warm smile. "Hey Pete, you want to drink? How about a coke from the cooler or a hot coffee? We have a thermos?"

"No."

"Pete my boy, I have to tell you that you are not a superman. You are going to have to piss sooner or later. It's the call of nature that none can deny."

"What is with the pissing obsession?"

"You have too high a concentration of Phenobarbital-B in you. Once you piss it will drop down to levels where it can't be spotted in an autopsy."

Pete had to laugh, "Who the fuck cares about drugs in my system. It's the bullet in the back of the head that is going to catch the corner's attention."

Jason with a sly smile said, "The bullet is not going to be in the back of your head. The back of the head doesn't say suicide. See Pete we can't just waste you like Lana and Chloe. It's got to look like a suicide. Even those politicians we own are spooked by us when we check out one of their own so you have to be a suicide. So just piss and we can warp this show up and get on the road."

"You piece of shit…"

Jason cut him off, "Now don't beg or cry because that is just pathetic."

"Fuck you, I'm not going to beg or cry."

"Usually they do, usually they do," said Butch speaking for the first time.

Pete waited but in the end his bladder betrayed him. It had to, finally. He fought it but then Jason said, "Hey, Pete why put yourself through that trouble. It is not going to matter one way or the other is it."

So finally Pete gave in, "I have to go so undo my hands."

"You know better than that, not a chance. I'll do it for you so it will be natural."

Pete at that moment really hated him. It was the remorseless yet soft way that Jason went about setting him up for the kill that made him hate Lana Lang's ex husband. Jason undid his pants and finally Pete was able to urinate himself dry, a last long dying arc of a life that as recent as just that morning was filled with such promise in the bright sunlight.

Pete looked to the sky and thought of Clark. Where was he? Was he just running on Clark time or did he not even make it to earth but was instead in some far off star system saving another planet from the Clove. Pete wished for Clark but if he couldn't be here at the edge of a swamp saving his life Pete hoped Clark was out the stars saving others.

Pete finished and Jason zipped him up. "Okay, fuck you, fuck the both of you. Get it fucking over with."

Jason held his right arm while Butch took his other side and they lead Pete down to the edge of the swamp. Now so close to dying Pete felt and perceived every sign of life around him. He could hear the lapping of the swamp against the mud. A dragonfly appeared at the edge flashing in the sun, big and prehistoric, like something brought forward in time from a million years ago.

Jason and Butch pushed Pete to his knees. He felt a new belt being strapped around his waist. A second later he felt a companion to the handcuff appear around his right wrist. It was attached to the belt around his waist. Unbelievable, Intergang had equipment for this!

Pete felt something thrust into his right hand as the Velcro straps tighten around his hand forcing him to hold onto it. His fingers and hand recognized the familiar contours of his Colt Agent revolver. He tried to pull the trigger but it wouldn't budge; obviously they had something wedged behind the trigger. In a few moments the small handgun was locked into his grip.

"Hold his head back, Butch," Jason said. Butch grabbed Pete's short hair and pulled his head back. The sunlight hurt Pete's eyes and for a moment he thought, 'Now Clark, time to come flying out of the sun and save me'. But Clark to the rescue was just a dream that today wasn't going to come true for Pete Ross.

"You fucking prick Jason, don't do this to me. You were a good guy. You were my football coach. What the fuck happened to you?"

Jason answered as he continued to fasten the suicide rig into place. "In all honesty I was never a good guy. It was just a part that I played to get Lana. I needed her to make my secret identity in life work. You understand that Pete; after all you little Smallville shits are playing the secret identity game to try to take down Intergang." Jason smiled down at Pete, "You know Pete this is a shame; I really did like you better than any of the others. But that doesn't mean I can cut you any slack. I have a job to do and a boss to answer to."

Pete hear a click behind him and his left arm was now behind his back and attached to the belt. In his right hand there was the Colt Agent revolver attached to the swing arm that was attached to the belt. He felt Jason standing beside him. Jason with all the leverage and position started to force the swing arm up and in doing to the Colt Agent started to move towards Pete's head.

"Ok, Pete don't fight me and I will make it clean and it will be over in a second."

"Please don't do this," Pete weakly protested.

"Come on, you know the deal. Now up we go."

Jason and Butch forced Pete's arm upward in an arc, curving Pete's own right hand holding the Colt Agent up toward Pete's temple. The swing arm had a breaking system that meant every time they gained an inch against Pete fighting with all the strength he had meant it never slipped back. The Colt Agent revolver closed in on Pete's brain. Pete fought inch by dying inch but the two men stood over him in positions that put all the leverage on their side. He saw in his peripheral vision his hand rise toward his head. It was clear now what would happen. His arm would rise until the muzzle of the Colt Agent touched his temple; then Jason would pull away whatever he'd wedged behind the trigger and crush Pete's trigger finger. His own gun would then blow his brains out. And the suicide rig made sure that he was holding the gun when it fired so his hand would be covered by the powder burn residue.

Pete knew he would be found lying in the weeds by the swamp with his hand locked around his own gun and his abandoned car at the scene. There would be no other physical evidence. Jason Teague former high school football coach turned Intergang murderer thought of everything. The asshole was so fucking professional.

Pete with sweat dripping down his forehead strained against his own hand.

Butch was getting impatient, "Just…ah, almost, there, don't fight it, dam it, don't fight it!" The gun in Pete's hand rose and rose and finally Pete felt it touch the fragile bone of his temple. It felt like someone was pressing a penny to the side of his head.

Jason bent over to start to work lose whatever he had wedged behind the trigger of the Colt Agent. Pete knew he had only seconds to live when the sound of a mobile phone ring cut through the deep breaths of three men who had been under a considerable amount of strain for the last couple minutes.

"That's me," Jason said and he fished out his mobile with one hand while holding the swing arm with the other. Butch stood over Pete using his weight and leverage to hold him on his knees. The brake on the swing arm kept the barrel of the Colt Agent pressed against Pete's head.

"Yes sir, it took the Phenobarbital-B but he sang like a canary……Didn't he tell you? He was supposed to call the witness location in and give you the tape later. There is a lot more on the tape than just where Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan and the witness are hiding……They are hiding out in Custer County, Idaho……..near a town called Mackay off Route 93……Ya that is it. I guess you would know where your brother's hunting cabin is……..the target location is built for a shooter like Viktor Sidiak…….Pete Ross? It's all under control and will be over in a minute……..Of course I would be happy to leave the line open and you can listen.

Jason clipped the mobile to the front zipper of his jacket. "The Boss wants to hear you check out, Pete. And we can't disappoint the boss."

Pete felt like saying something witty but nothing came out. Through his strained peripheral vision Pete could see Jason laboriously working on getting his gloved finger half on the trigger guard to be ready in a few seconds when he pulled the plug wedged behind the trigger away.

"Watch yourself, Butch, you don't want to ruin that shirt," Jason said warning his partner to steer clear of the blood splatter.

Butch grunted as with all his weight and leverage he held Pete down on his knees. "I'm trying but this one is a fighter……."

It didn't matter because a second later Butch's shirt was ruined when the a boat tailed hollow point blew through his main body mass and exploded into his heart. Pete and Jason felt Butch's blood splatter hit both their faces. Then the sound of the rifle report reached them as across the swamp a flock of angry birds burst out of the trees into the air.

With Butch lying on the ground wearing a ruined shirt Pete was half free from his constraint. Straightening up but still on his knees he turned to Jason.

Jason still holding Pete's right arm looked around confused. Jason with blank eyes just stood there stupefied not getting it.

But Pete got it, "Jason you asshole, your dead!"

At that precise instant Jason's head exploded as his brain was ripped from the skull cavity. Jason's body spun like a sack of potatoes trying to do a ballet pirouette as it fell to the ground.

The angry birds were gone along with the dragonfly but Pete with his face and shoulder splattered with blood was still alive. Pete still on his knees sat back on his heels and his lungs heaved in the joy of life along with the fresh air of the countryside. His right arm ached from fighting for his life. He tried to throw away the Colt Agent handgun but the velcro straps held it in his hand. Pete figured the key to the suicide rig had to be on one of the two bodies lying on the ground before him.

Pete scrambled to his feet and turned to look in the direction of where the flock of birds had been spooked. He saw a man wading across the swamp from the trees toward him. The man was quite tall, over six feet. He was wearing blue jeans and a black t-shirt. He had on a Smallville Crows baseball cap. His hair was streaked with grey and his focused cold blue eyes were surrounded by the crows feet facial lines. The face looked more Clint Eastwood than Leonardo DiCaprio but the body was that of an Olympic athlete. His shoulders were broad and there was an obvious six pack under the t-shirt.

He carried a fat barreled bolt action rifle with about a yard of scope atop it. He carried it like a man that knew something about rifles.

He walked up to Pete and when he smiled the crow's feet around his blue eyes turned into laugh lines.

"Howdy Pete," said Whitney Fordman.

To be continued as Part 52: Asphalt Ambush or A Bloody Thing Happened on the Way to the Airport!


	56. A Call To Arms Part 52

Part 52: Asphalt Ambush or A Bloody Thing Happened on the Way to the Airport!

Pete with a blood spattered face just stared with strung out moronic eyes at the man with the big rifle.

"Christ on a cracker Pete, what kind of company are you keeping these days? These shits even had a rig for phony suicide." Whitney ripped off the Velcro straps from Pete's fist. Pete didn't hold onto the Colt agent revolver and it fell to the ground. Whitney bent over and picked it up. "Hang onto this Pete; you never know when you are going to need it."

So far it had been quite a day for Pete and he was still in a state of shock trying to get it through his head that the sixty five year old face on the body of an athlete in his prime was Whitney Fordman, one time small town sports hero now fighting in the stars with Clark Kent.

Pete could see on his right side set high in a holster Whitney had a dead black Colt Commander .45 ACP with low mount Novak sights and a beavertail grip safety. It was a custom job with neoprene combat grips. The marine sniper scout might now be a warrior in space but here on earth he was a traditionalist and that meant 45 ACP and no 9mm mouse pistol. It was the sort of pistol a man who has thought a lot of about pistols might carry along with the three spare magazines in a Sparks mag holder riding on his other hip.

Pete had lapsed into some kind of post stress mental crash and was incapable of operating rationally. He just stared at Whitney, eyes wide open, mouth agape. He kept looking at Whitney unable to make the mental connection but waiting for the pieces to fall into place.

Pete let out a long breath he hadn't realized he had been holding, "You got old."

Whitney laughed at that statement of the obvious. "Yes that I did. I guess I don't look like the Whitney Fordman the golden haired quarterback for the Smallville Crows any more but that is fine with me. I am playing now on a new team of Crows in the stars so losing my youthful looks was a small price to pay. But why are you so surprised? Clark must have told you about the spatial time abnormity that Earth is caught up in that keeps time running slower on Earth."

Pete continued to stare at Whitney, "He did but it's just when ever I see Clark and Thor-el they always look the same so the reality of the time difference just never hit me…"

Whitney finished for Pete, "Until you looked into the sixty five year old face of your high school quarterback?"

"Well, yea, something like that."

"I know it's a lot to take in," Whitney gestured at the two bodies, "and it has been quite the day for you but rest assured Pete, I might be forty years older but I'm still just Whitney Fordman from Smallville. But don't let the face fool you and make the mistake of thinking of me as an old man. Colonel Kim in that North Korean prison camp might have carved me up with a blow torch but when the Turlog and Hivistahm doctors put me back together they did a special job. I might not look like the high school quarterback but today at sixty five I can throw a football for hour after hour the entire length of the field and every time straight through a swinging tire."

Pete wiped the blood off his face. "Thanks for saving my life. That was some fantastic shooting."

"Thank the Boy Scouts; along with the Marines, they are the ones that taught me how to shoot. I had to wait until the light was on them properly. I wanted to shoot out of the sun. I was worried that I would have to take out all of them so was happy to see most of them took off. With only two left behind to do the dirty work it was easy.

"How did you throw a bolt so fast?"

"Oh Pete that was nothing more than practice. I did quite a bit of rifle shooting in the Marines and still practice from time to time out in space. Clark thinks it's a waste of time training with an ancient lead slug thrower but I just remind him that unlike me he has heat vision so don't give me a hard time for keeping my skill level up on rifles."

"Rifles! Listen Whitney there is a sniper going after Lana and Chloe. The Intergang members said he was Russian. The sniper's name is Viktor Sidiak."

Whitney's head snapped around to face Pete. "Viktor Sidiak! Are you sure they said Viktor Sidiak?"

"Yes, he is some big time Russian assassin hired by Intergang to kill Lana, Chloe and the witness they are hiding out with until the big trial. The girls are up in Lex Luthor's hunting cabin in the Lost River Range outside MacKay Idaho. Intergang shot me full of Phenobarbital-B and I told them where the girls are hiding. They said they are sending Viktor Sidiak to do the job. Where is Clark?"

Whitney for the first time since Pete saw him looked scared. "This is bad. Clark is not here. He couldn't make it and isn't even in the Alpha Quadrant. I flew in with his space speeder. Now there is no way for him to get here in time."

Whitney shook his head, "Viktor Sidiak! I thought I would ever hear that name again."

Pete looked up in surprise and Whitney filled him in, "Viktor Sidiak was the most renowned snipers of the Afghanistan war with over a hundred confirmed kills. I heard about him from a Canadian SAS sniper that went up against Sidiak in a sniper duel during one of the Russian assaults on Ahmed Shah Masood's forces in the Pahjshir Valley."

Whitney gestured over to his sniper rifle, "That was the same Canadian SAS sniper that introduced me to the AWM .338 Lapua Magnum. We all thought the Canadian had killed him but it turned out Viktor Sidiak survived his wounds. When I was in black opts we heard the rumors of a Russian sniper going freelance after the fall of the Soviet Union. The assassin's profile was Viktor Sidiak but we could never confirm it. The only thing we knew for sure was that the Russian sniper surprisingly uses an American weapon, the Remington 700 rifle chambered for 7mm Remington Magnum. This guy is one of the most experienced snipers in the world. If he is going after Lana and Chloe then we had better get hunting him."

Whitney looked out toward the road. "My truck is a white Dodge Ram truck parked under some trees about a half a mile down off the main road. We will take your car and stop to pick up some gear I have in it and then we better start making tracks to have a chance of stopping Viktor Sidiak."

"I have a faster way. We need to get word to Lex that Viktor Sidiak is after Lana and Chloe and their cabin hide out is no longer safe. He is the one with the resources to get to Lana and Chloe. Where is my phone?"

Pete sprinted to his car and dug into his pocket for the keys but came up empty. Think! Pete then remembered that Intergang had taken his car keys so they could get his Colt Agent revolver out the glove department. Then one of them drove his car out to the fake suicide site. The gangster must have forgotten about Pete's car keys and is still carrying them around with him. So Jason Teague's perfect fake suicide murder had a flaw.

But where was his cell phone? Pete was trying to think where he left it and then thinking about cell phones triggered a memory from just as the Colt Agent barrel made contact with his temple. Oh my God! Cell phone!

Pete turned and ran back to the two bodies. He quickly flipped over the bloody mess that was all that was left of Jason Teague. Jason's phone was still clipped to the zipper of his jacket and it was active. The boss of Intergang had wanted to listen to Pete being killed but instead had been treated to the death of his two hooligans and then listening to Pete and Whitney's entire conversation.

Pete lifted a finger to his lips and caught Whitney's eye. He shook his head and pointed at the live phone.

Pete picked up the phone and slowly brought his to his ear. The sudden silence must have tipped off the Intergang boss because he was already off the line. "Fuck me," Pete cursed, "He hung up; I thought I heard some noise in the background like machinery or an engine but now he is gone."

Whitney gave Pete a grim look. "We have to assume we are totally compromised. That means the Intergang boss now not only knows where Lana and Chloe are but has already dispatched Viktor Sidiak. Whether the girls are alive tomorrow means how quickly we can warn them to get as far away from that cabin as possible. Viktor Sidiak was most likely waiting in Metropolis for a location. He is now on the move. Pete that means that Victor Sidiak has the jump on us and if he gets to that cabin and the girls are still there then they are dead."

Whitney quickly looked around thinking they were too vulnerable out here in the open. What if Viktor Sidiak was out there with orders to finish the mission that the two Intergang killers had screwed up? "Pete we have to get moving. The girls are in danger and we are totally exposed as long as we stay here. We have to assume that the Intergang boss on the other end of that cell phone call knows where we are, how many of us there are, knows all our Intel and even knows the color of my truck."

Pete's mind even through the Phenobarbital-B hang over was working a mile a minute. "I don't have a number for the girls. Only Lex has that number. We need to call Lex and tell him to warn the girls."

Whitney gestured around them, "And it's not only Intergang that we have to avoid. We have to get out of here. This place is now home to two dead bodies and the rifle that killed them was fired by a black ops sniper scout that disappeared years ago in North Korea. I sure don't want to have to explain to the police what really happened here. I'll check the bodies just in case one of them happens to have your car keys and you get Lex Luther on that phone."

Whitney started to systematically search the bodies while Pete quickly dialed Lex's personal mobile number.

In a Cessna 425 Conquest Private Airplane flying over Metropolis:

Lucas Luther cut off the mobile call before Pete realized the sound he heard on the other end of Jason Teague's mobile was from the cockpit of a private airplane. Lucas Luther was disappointed but fought down his anger. There was more than one way to eliminate the Smallville three Musketeers and he didn't need to do it all in 24 hours.

However it was still a shame that Jason Teague hadn't been able to complete the job. The irony of using Jason Teague, Smallville High football coach and ex husband, to kill Pete Ross and provide the trail to Lana Lang and Chloe Sullivan had some poetic justice to it for those self-righteous meddlers that was now lost.

The question now was who was this Whitney Fordman that saved Pete Ross? Lucas Luther had never heard of him but the guy sounded like a mid western version of his very own Russian killer Viktor Sidiak. And what was this talk of Clark out in space? Could they be referring to Pete Ross's Smallville friend; that irritating overgrown farm boy Clark Kent? Didn't he disappear seven years ago after a summer barbecue Lex had out at the Smallville mansion?

And what did they mean by these references to space? Was it code for an undercover operation aimed at Intergang? Or maybe it didn't have anything to do with a criminal organization like Intergang but was a government run black opts operation? Why would anyone hang a code word like "Space" on a black opts mission?

There were too many questions to answer just now. Lucas knew he needed to contain Pete and this Whitney guy as quickly as possible before either of them could interfere with the main objective: killing Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan and the witness.

But how do you stop a man like this Whitney Fordman?

Then in a flash it came to Lucas Luthor: You ask a man just like Whitney Fordman. Moments later Lucas Luthor from the cockpit of his Cessna plane dialed the satellite phone of a man waiting for a call to tell him where to go for a kill. The call was picked up before the end of the first ring and Viktor Sidiak came on the line.

On a Farm outside Metropolis:

Viktor Sidiak is the master sniper. He lies almost preternaturally still, like a stone. He is a short necked man as so many great shooters are: his cold grey eyes are gifted with an almost freakish 20/12 acuity. His resting pulse rate hardly exists which along with other oddities are again freakish in most men but weirdly perfect for a sniper.

He has extremely well developed fast twitch forearm muscles. His hands are large and strong. His stamina is off the charts along with reflexes and pain tolerance. But none of these obvious characteristics explains his extraordinary skill in killing men along with the required sociopath moral ambiguity about taking human lives.

Beside Viktor Sidiak lying across on a hard packed sand bag is the tool of his trade: Death from afar.

It is a Remington 700 rifle with a H-S Precision fiberglass stock and a Leupold 10X scope. It is a custom rifle that has been tricked up to realize the last basis point of it's potential. The bolt action is trued and honed and bolted into the mental block at the center of the stock at maximum torque. The sniper's rifle has a Krieger barrel free-floated after cryogenic treatment. The trigger of this tool for killing is a Jewell that lets off at four pounds with the crisp snap of a glass rod breaking.

Viktor Sidiak has spent the last two weeks out on this farm outside of Metropolis waiting for the call to kill. The time waiting hasn't been wasted because he has used it for load experimentation. Finding the perfect bullet and load combination for this sniper rifle.

He has searched for the perfect balance between weight of a bullet, the depth of its seating, the selection of type and amount of gun powder hand measured to the last grain. Nothing has been left to chance. The case necks have been turned and annealed, the primer hole deburred, primer depth perfected and the primer itself selected for consistency. Finally the rifle wears a Browning Ballistic Optimizing System which is a kind of screw-on nozzle that can be micro-turned to generate the best vibrational characteristics for accuracy.

The caliber is civilian not military, the classic 7mm Remington Magnum. A flat shooting, hard hitting cartridge that holds it's velocity as it flies through thin cold mountain air to deliver close to two thousand foot-pounds of energy beyond five hundred yards.

Of course the point of the endless ballistic experimentation was simple. To bring the rifle and it's ammunition load to complete perfection so it could be forgotten. That was the one principle of great shooting; arrange for the best and then forget about it so you can concentrate on what was important which was killing with a smile.

The secure satellite phone beside him rings and in two minutes Lucas Luthor has told Viktor Sidiak what has happened and asks what is the solution to clean up this mess.

A heavy Russian accent now crackled out of the secure satellite phone into the cockpit of the Cessna plane. "Are you sure the name of the sniper that killed your men was Whitney Fordman?"

"Yes that was the name but I've never heard of him. Where do you know him from?"

"Snipers know snipers but I thought that particular sniper was dead or long retired. Whitney Fordman was a US Marine sniper scout who after a faked combat death in Indonesia ended up in black opts. He was so successful in black opts and even from the shadows he acquired the reputation of being one of the best snipers in the world. There was talk of an American sniper taking out a drug lord in Columbia. Then with the same mode of operation an Army of God general in Uganda was killed from a thousand yard shot. There were a half a dozen high profile assassinations with his finger print on them that all furthered American interests. The only consistency was the rifle used in all of them was chambered for the .338 Lapua Magnum."

Viktor Sidiak continued, "Whitney Fordman's final mission was about five years ago. The black opts mission was a defection of a nuclear physicist from North Korea. The American team had made the snatch and was escaping up the Changingang Valley while being chased by a North Korean Special Forces mountain unit. The North Korean mountain troops were closing in when Whitney Fordman stayed behind to hold them off. By himself, one man he stopped over three hundred elite North Korean soldiers, killing a third of them and thus making it possible for his team and the defector to escape. However he was captured and taken to the Chungbong Prison camp. Then some months later he escaped from the camp under mysterious circumstances. No one could get a clear story on how his rescuers were able to get him out let alone how they killed two battalions of North Korean troops in the rescue. The rumors were the Korean soldiers killed in the rescue of Whitney Fordman had the flesh melted off their bones. Everyone thought the Americans had developed come kind of super weapon but there was no further Intel on the weapon and the escape of Whitney Fordman just faded into legend."

Lucas Luther was confused, "Why hasn't anyone heard of this guy? If he is out there doing jobs then he should be on the radar. He didn't just fall off the planet."

Viktor Sidiak's thick Russian accent came back with the answer. "That's just it. After the escape from North Korea Whitney Fordman disappeared. We heard he had been tortured for the GPS waypoints where his black opts team and the nuclear physicist defector would be crossing the Yalu River to escape into China. He never talked but was crippled by the torture. Even if the escape story was true all of us believed that Whitney Fordman was either dead or simply living out his days in a hospital bed under an assumed name."

Lucas Luther was having a bad day that now needed a solution. "Ok interesting story Viktor but how do we stop them? They know that the Idaho cabin where your targets are hiding out is compromised. Before long they will be on the move and trying to stop you."

Viktor Sidiak shifted his brain into tactical mode and asked a few questions. "They will have to drive to the Metropolis airport to have any chance of intercepting me. Do you know what vehicle they are driving?"

Lucas Luther thought for a second, "Pete Ross said his keys are gone but Whitney Fordman has a white Dodge Ram truck."

"That's it. That is when you take Whitney Fordman. He has to drive to the airport. Whitney Fordman is a sniper. He is a shooter. He works by seeing. His whole life is built on seeing. The input he gets from the world is all visual information. Which he processed and from which he makes his tactical decisions. He likes to see things from a long way off. He doesn't like surprises. Whitney Fordman likes to be the surprise."

Lucas Luther waited for Viktor Sidiak to tell him what to do and a moment later instead a question came over the line. "Do you have any shooting assets available right now between them and the airport? Tell me every thing you have in the area."

Then Lucas Luther realized he had caught a break. "I have lots of assets in the area. The hit team, in a SUV that snatched Pete Ross is driving back to Metropolis and is between them and Metropolis airport. I also have a team of shooters that was in Grandville which are also driving back to Metropolis today. Those two vehicles are filled with shooters and are still on the Grandville side of them."

A plan formed in Viktor Sidiak's mind which then flowed out over the satellite phone. "You are going to have to coordinate from the air. Two vehicles of shooters behind them and the Nissan Armada in front turns around to snare Whitney Fordman's truck in the middle. But you need other vehicles up front with the Nissan Armada from the front. Something with weight enough to hit him and stop him. It should be a big truck with a bull bar to act as blocker and then ram Whitney Fordman's truck off the road. Then the other vehicles with the shooters in front and behind bury him with full automatic fire. Your men have to surprise him with the ramming accident and then be firing full automatic pouring it into him in the first second after the crash. If he only has his sniper rifle and you don't spook him then he is dead but don't underestimate this guy. There are two battalions of North Korean troops that were melted into the ground that underestimated Whitney Fordman. If he has other weapons available and he is tipped off about the road ambush then all your men are dead. Full auto ambush is the only way but it requires total surprise. Your men must not let him know that he is being hunted."

Lucas Luther was starting to feel good. "That makes sense and I have the manpower available to take them down in the next half hour. I want you to get to Metropolis airport where there will be a private charter to Idaho waiting for you. Once in Boise you will be responsible for making your own way to the cabin. My contacts in Idaho at the telephone company will cut off the cabin's communications and the hidden targets will suddenly become very soft targets."

Viktor Sidiak smiled, "I am already gone. I will make contact just before penetration to check for pick up. A helicopter would be nice."

Lucas Luther finally laughed, "After that road ambush plan you deserve it so consider it done. Now its mission green and I want them all dead, Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan, my former accountant and her two daughters as a warning to anyone thinking of turning states evidence."

Viktor Sidiak clicked off and in five minutes later pulled out of the laneway of the farm and was on his way to Metropolis airport. Lucas Luther switched communications from the satellite phone. Lucas Luther leaned to his radio console, switched to the security mode in the digital encryption system and keyed in the code he'd selected from the 720 billion possibilities, the same code selected in the big man's radio in the Nissan Amada on the ground. Their radio was now secure from intercept.

He told his hit teams on the road to Metropolis that instead of a leisurely drive to the city today they were going to set up and execute a Technicolor highway ambush.

In a few minutes Viktor Sidiak's ambush plan was outlined to the big man who had led the interrogation of Pete Ross. The big man was going to led the ambush on the ground while Lucas Luther acting as spotter would coordinate the ambush from the air. They quickly linked up communications with the hit team returning to Metropolis from Grandville.

The big man turned around the black Nissan Armada SUV and pulled into a gas station. Fifteen grand and the same number of minutes later the Nissan Armada pulled back onto the road but this time with a beat up toe truck with a large angle iron bull bar on the front end as a companion. The new addition was perfect for ramming a white Dodge Ram truck off the road so it could be used for full auto target practice.

The big man got on the radio and laid out the ambush plan to the shooters in the other cars. "We have him boxed in with the tow truck set to ram him off the road. This is not going to be some fucking drive by, not for this guy, this is going to be a highway ambush. I will be in control on the ground with the boss as the eyes in the sky marking the target for us. This operation is going to be coordinated and choreographed to perfection. Now everyone get set up, two to three shooters per car. Get on your body armor and get your weapons set up for a fire fight."

The Intergang hit men in the SUV and each car started to get primed up for a battle. They were using shorty M-16s, some MP-5s, two Smith and Wesson M-76s and several of those universal tools of the gang wars, as ugly and reliable as an old whore, the Israeli Uzi. They popped the mags and checked their ammo: Federal hardball, 115 grain for sub machine guns and Winchester ball .223 for the shorty M-16s.

The big man passed the word to Lucas Luthor. "We are ready for action boss, just lead us to him and we will blow day light through the fucker."

Lucas Luthor banked his Cessna 425 Conquest toward Grandville and took out his Zeiss 10x50 binoculars and started to scan for the white Dodge Ram pick up. From 3,000 feet up he could get a very up close and personal view of any vehicle on the road. There wouldn't be any mistakes in identification.

Pete waited for Lex to pick up but the call didn't go through. He had a satellite phone at home that could get a hold of Lex on the other side of the world but Jason Teague's mobile was not going to do the job. "Whitney the call is not going through. We have to get moving, out on the road and I will try Lex again."

Whitney looked up from the bodies of Jason Teague and Butch. "Your keys are not here."

Pete cursed, "That Intergang asshole that drove my car out here must still have them in his pocket. And that criminal genius Jason Teague thought he could make my death look like a suicide."

Whitney looked surprised, "You knew this Intergang hitmen?"

"Don't remind me. The second one you shot was Jason Teague, former offensive football coach at Smallville High."

"You've got to be kidding me!"

Pete snorted, "I wish but of course it gets even weirder. He is Lana Lang's ex husband. The guy she picked over Clark and then married after he disappeared."

Whitney's jaw dropped, "I killed Lana's ex husband? So much for a quiet day of the Sharks, beer and hot dogs. This really is turning into a surreal experience."

Whitney gestured at the bloody body of Jason Teague, "What was that girl thinking? How could she pick this piece of shit over Clark Kent, the teenage hero of Smallville? I tell you Pete, Lana Lang should strictly stick to Smallville boys, the rest of them just aren't in our league."

Whitney scooped up his AWM Lapua Magnum rifle and pointed at a section of bush. "My truck is about a mile straight in that direction. Let's make tracks and get on the road. Once we are rolling you can try Lex Luthor again and I need to try a long shot."

"What long shot?"

"A subspace message to the Weave galaxy communication grid. We might get lucky and be able to call in some help from outer space."

With that they two of them set off through the bush. Whitney carried his sniper rifle in one hand and used the other to pull Pete at break neck speed. Pete felt like a six year old girl dressed in her Sunday best trying to take a champion Alaskan husky for a walk that predictably turns into hanging on for dead life.

It was all Pete could do to stay on his feet. Several times Pete was sure he was going to fall but every time Whitney without even breaking stride would lift him up until Pete once again found ground under his feet.

Whitney with the infallible sense of direction of a Marine sniper scout brought them out right by his truck which was parked off the road behind some brush in the trees. Whitney tossed Pete the keys and slid into the passenger seat. A few minutes later they were on the road and on their way to the Metropolis airport.

What Pete Ross and Whitney Fordman didn't know was they were already being scoped by Zeiss 10x50 binoculars at 3,000 feet from a Cessna 425 Conquest airplane. This particular plane was guiding a mobile ambush towards them closing in from both the front and behind.

Whitney pulled something small and black out of a shirt pocket and started to key in a message.

Pete looked over, "What is that? It looks like a blackberry?"

Whitney answered without looking up, "Just on the outside Pete, it is a subspace transmitter. It just looks like a blackberry for blending in while on earth. Clark is not even in the alpha quadrant but on the other side of the galaxy. However there is a chance that someone else like Thor-el is with in striking distance."

Pete suddenly had a brainstorm, "Whitney how did you get here? What about your space ship? The kind that Clark had when he rescued you in North Korea. You could just call down your space ship and we could use it to get to the cabin in Idaho in minutes. You could drop me off and I will warn the girls. They wouldn't need to see you or the space ship."

Whitney just shook his head, "Sorry Pete, when Clark couldn't make it he lent me his space speeder but it is no longer in the Sol system. We used to leave the space speeders parked up beside the Hubble Space Telescope and come down in skin suits. Well I mean I would use a skin suit but of course Clark and Thor-el with their super powers would just fly down. But we stopped when Clark said we never knew when someone would do maintenance on the telescope and see the space speeders. Also he didn't want to leave a spacer speeder in the Sol system that could be picked up by Clove scans. The risk was too high that the Clove would investigate the contact and find earth. The space speeder is on automatic return and already jumped out of the system through two worm holes and a collapse star jump. There won't be a space ship in the Sol system until the Weave comes to pick me up in a week. I am sorry but we are on our own."

Whitney continued to type in his message on the Weave subspace communicator posing as a blackberry and when finished pressed send. It was a real long shot but at the moment it appeared that long shots where all they had.

Lucas Luthor applied a touch of right rudder, a little aileron and gently banked the Cessna plane until he was flying parallel to the road. He reached for the throttles and eased back revs dropping to two thousand feet. He set the plane on auto pilot and drew the Zeiss 10x50 binoculars into position and diddled with the focus.

There is was as clear as day, the white Dodge Ram truck. He could even make up the profile of Pete Ross in the driver's seat. They were making tracks obviously heading to the airport. Well that was one connection they were never going to make.

"Air to Nissan, Air to Nissan."

The big man came on the secure radio, "We are in position and have a heavy truck with a bull bar in front all set to ram them."

"Good, Air confirms the target is three miles east of the Baker cutoff. They are coming your way with ETA four minutes."

Whitney Fordman just sent his subspace message when he heard it. A plane. That was it. The sound of a plane engine, steady, not increasing in speed.

"I am going to try Lex again…." Pete was saying.

"Not now Pete, just be quiet for a minute."

"What is…."

"Don't look around, don't speed up, don't slow down, you just stay very calm and don't break your profile. We are being scoped."

Whitney didn't break his profile either but just closed his eyes and listened, trying to isolate the airplane engine from the buffeting of the wind on the truck and the vibrations of the road. Off a kilometer parallel to the road was a twin engine job, most likely a Cessna. Those planes flew 240 miles an hour. Either there was a terrific headwind or the pilot was flying close to stall speed to stay parallel and in the same speed zone as the truck.

"What is it Whitney? Is it ok? I mean, you just tensed up there and now you are relaxed. Everything is okay, right?"

Whitney yawned and smiled at Pete, "Sure, everything is superfine except of course we are about to get ambushed."

Lucas Luther passed over operational command to the big man in the Nissan Armada behind the heavy duty tow truck closing in from the front. He looked back along the road and watched as two large sedans, the hit team that had been in Grandville, roared down the highway trailing dust and closing on the slower moving white Dodge Ram truck.

Lucas Luther clicked open his radio so he could monitor the commands of the big man coordinating the ambush from the Nissan Armada. "Okay boys, we have him in the trap and I smell blood. It's all looking very good. Rear keeps closing but slow down when you get him in sight. I don't want to spook him. We are about two minutes from showtime."

Lucas Luther then heard something strange coming over the radio. Some harsh tense scraping and what sounded like a television set being turned on and off. Then he realized it was the dry breathing of men about to go into a shooting war and they were cocking and locking their weapons for it.

Words poured out of Pete Ross as if he had lost control of them. His tone was high, tinny and almost girlish. "Should we stop?" he moaned, "Is there a turnoff? Should we pull over and call the police? Jesus, I have to call Lex if we are killed there is no one to warn the girls about the Russian assassin."

"It's too late to call now. You can call him after the ambush. Now just sit tight and don't speed up or slow down. We have two cars behind us and I bet some shooter traffic ahead and there is a plane flying parallel to the road coordinating it. We are about to get bounced and bounced hard."

Pete saw Whitney reach back behind the seat without disturbing his upright profile. Pete looked into the rearview mirror and saw two cars appear from behind a bend in the road. They had dark tinted windows.

"Ok Pete the rule for survival is cover not concealment. When you exit the truck go to the front wheel well so the engine block is between you and them. Their bullets will tear right through the truck otherwise."

Pete's mind became a cascade of tiny bubbles and he fought to breath. He heart felt like it weighed a ton and there was no air in the cab of the truck.

"I can't do it Whitney," He said. "I'm so scared."

"You will be all right. Clark told me what a great driver you are, how you were a big street racer."

Whitney calmly continued, "We have a better tactical position than you think. They have the men and they think they have surprise but we are the ones with the edge. Don't forget it might be with ray guns not lead but I have been playing hands like this for forty years in space and winning. The way out of this is the way out of any scrape: we hit them so hard and so fast with so much stuff they check out to hell with brown underwear."

Ahead of them two vehicles appeared. The first was a beat up tow truck with a huge angle iron bull bar. Behind it was a large black tinted window Nissan Armada. Pete checked the rearview: the two cars behind were pulling closer but not speeding wildly. He could make out four profiles even behind the tinted glass sitting rigidly in the lead car.

It wasn't his AWM Lapua Magnum sniper rifle but a Rugar Mini-14 that Whitney pulled out from behind the seat along with a plastic grocery bag. He was still wearing his Colt Commander 45 pistol.

The Ruger Mini 14 rifle is a kind of shrunken version of the old military M-14 that was replaced by the M-16. The Mini 14 was almost delicate looking, light and handy. It was a carbine style semi auto which fired the 5.56 cartridge, the same as the M-16. Pete looked up down the road. The tow truck drew nearer. It was less than a kilometer away. It would be on them in moments.

"Where is it?" Whitney demanded of the universe, his voice for the first time sounding raspy and concerned. The fact that for the first time he didn't sound like the calm cool space warrior terrified Pete more than the gunman in the approaching vehicles.

'What is he looking for?' Pete wondered desperately.

Lucas Luther watched Viktor Sidiak's masterpiece ambush unfold beneath him with solemn splendor. It was all in the timing and the timing was exquisite. In a few moments the tow truck would ram Pete and Whitney's truck and push it off the road.

They had them trapped! It was going to work! Lucas Luthor felt the surge of power that he always enjoyed when he watched men die under his orders.

He turned up the volume on the radio and listened to the big man in the Nissan Armada coordinate the ambush. "Okay boys keep closing, let's be very very calm now, calm and cool. Lets do a double check on our pieces, make sure we got our mags seated, bolts locked and safeties in the red zone. Let's stay icy, very cool. Let's bury this guy behind a wall of 9mm lead."

"Now you listen Pete," said Whitney fiercely. "That led tow truck's is going to try to ram you off the road. The split second before you pull even to him, you down shift a gear and drop the hammer. That will carry us past his ramming lunge and put him behind us. The tow truck will then cut off the two chase cars behind us. Then you make a hard left and aim to hit the back corner of that Nissan Armada. Hit them hard to really mess them up and shake up the shooters inside. After hitting him you continue and go into a hard left skidding stop. We will skid across the road and come to rest on the shoulder on the other side. That way if we need to we can fall back and get into those trees but the main thing is they will all be bunched up behind us and fat targets. Now you are coming out of my side of the truck and then you break to the front wheel well and get behind the engine block for cover. You take this bag and your job is going to be to feed me magazines from the bag as I need them. You watch me; when I pop a mag, you hand me the next one with bullets out towards me and pointed forward so I can slap it in and get back to rock n roll."

"Ok, ok, I got it, said Pete trying to remember it all, amazed and somehow calm that so quickly Whitney had come up with a plan.

"You gotta stay calm, you gotta stay cool," said Whitney.

"I'm ok, I'm up for this," Pete said and suddenly knowing Whitney, earth's only native born space warrior was beside him he was.

"There it is," said Whitney and Pete saw him pull a magazine from the bag. It was longer and more curved than the others. It almost looked like the distinctive banana curved magazine for the famed AK-47. Pete could see a red tipped cartridge at the opening of the magazine.

The Intergang tow truck that was going to try to ram them was almost on them. It was going to happen right now.

"What's that?" Pete had time to ask as the universe unlatched from reality and slipped into slow motion. He heard Whitney seat the long curved magazine with the red tipped bullets and with a metallic crack let the bolt of the Mini-14 fly home.

"Forty rounds of M-196 ball tracer," Whitney answered with a grin. "We are going to light those Intergang boys up."

Lucas Luther watched in full anticipation the precisely choreographed ambush. He simultaneously banked and added power as he flew gull-like around the ambush. He watched the vehicles as they closed in on the white pick up truck. Viktor Sidiak's plan was like magic as it happened in front of him the same way he had seen it in his mind.

But then something happened, it was suddenly changing, there was dust, so much dust and he couldn't see it anymore. It was so confusing.

Lucas Luther had killed men and ordered them killed but it had always been hits done execution style. Here was something new: confusion. He'd never seen a battle before except in the movies but in the movies everything was clear. That was the point of going to the movies. Here nothing was clear, it was all helter-skelter.

Lucas Luther listening to his hit men in the Nissan Armada as the battle unfolded.

"Ah, no shit he missed him, goddamn…."

Then a loud crash of metal on metal.

"What the fuck? What is…"

"Look out he is firing, he's…"

"We are on fucking fire. Christ we are burning!"

"I'm hit, oh fuck I'm hit…"

"Get out of the way, the flames, the flames…."

Then Lucas Luther heard the screams of men being cooked as he banked the Cessna around. He winced, shuttered and wondered what the hell was happening on that fucking highway. Then he saw the geyser like surge of a tank of gasoline go up and then heard nothing more from the Nissan Armada. He knew the radio microphone in the SUV had melted.

Whitney was locked and loaded with the oversized magazine of M-196 ball tracer with the phosphorous bullets just waiting to be released down the barrel to ignite from the air friction.

Moments earlier:

It was happening. The Intergang tow truck's huge angle iron bull bar looked as big as a house falling on this but Pete reacted like the champion street racer he had been at Smallville High. Pete slammed the gearshift, dropping a gear for the torque and dropped the hammer on the gas pedal and with a surprising giddy lightness the white Dodge pick up shot forward. The oafish tow truck with the huge bull bar missed the Dodge truck and veering to correct sped out of control. It slid sideways but then the tires stuck and the tow truck tumbled savagely kicking up a huge blast of dust. Pete cranked the wheel of the Dodge to the left aiming for the rear corner of the Nissan Armada.

With a tremendous jolt Pete rammed the Nissan Armada and rocked it crazily as he continued into a hard left skidding stop kicking up a shroud of dust as he came to rest on the shoulder of the road. Just before he hit the Nissan Armada Pete had out of his peripheral vision had seen faces lit up by rage and surprise float by in the open window of the Nissan Armada. He felt like he was looking at men frozen in ice with their eyes swollen in surprise. They hung in the air and then he hit their Nissan Armada and they disappeared in a swirl and blur of rolling dust.

Pete skidded to a halt, wasn't he supposed to be doing something?

"Out Pete, its rock n roll," barked Whitney. Pete clawed at his seat belt, so glad he'd had it on and felt it fall away. He rolled across the seat and heard the magazines rattling inside the bag as he fell out and slid fast down to the front fender of the truck and behind the wheel well and engine block.

Whitney was already there and set up in a taunt hunched shooter's position. Pete knew he should stay down but he just couldn't, he had to see.

When Pete peeked over the hood of the Dodge truck the spectacle stunned him. The tow truck with the bull bar that tried to ram them had rolled into the other lane and was now upside down cutting off that lane. The two sedans of Intergang shooters that had been behind them coming from Grandville had skidded in their own panic stops and were now just behind the over turned tow truck. It also looked like the Intergang cars set to attack from the rear hit each other with the one at the back rear ending the front one.

The Nissan Armada that Pete had hit on the rear corner after the impact had slewed to a halt to avoid smashing into the over turned tow truck. It was closest to them on the other side of the road. There was a moment of horrified silence. Inside the Intergang cars men fumbled in confusion trying not to shoot each other. They were trying to locate their target, the white Dodge which was not trapped between them where it was supposed to be.

Of course he recovered first because just then, standing over Pete, Whitney fired.

Even in the bright light of day the white phosphorous smoke from the M-196 ball tracer leaked radiance to mark their passage as they flew out of the barrel of Whitney's Ruger Mini-14. The streaks of tracer bullets were like strings of subatomic particles in the bubble chamber of a physics experiment. White smoke ropes of incandescence as straight as if drawn in the air by a ruler pointed directly at the rear of the Nissan Armada. Whitney fired three rounds inside a second low into the Nissan Armada.

In a vague part of his mind Pete wondered what Whitney was shooting for? Not at Intergang hit men in the SUV for he was shooting not into the passenger compartment but above the rear tire and Pete wondered….

Then the huge SUV disappeared in a huge flash as the M-196 tracer bullets lit up the gas tank. The noise was like a thunderclap throwing feathers of fire everywhere. It felt like the world had caught fire and a wave of crushing heat rolled over Pete even as he crouched behind the Dodge truck. Pete could hear the screams of burning Intergang men in the Nissan Armada until a few moments later when their cries of pain were engulfed in the flaming destruction.

Motion appeared in Pete's peripheral vision and he turned back to see that the car that had been rear ended by its companion was gunning it to drive around the over turned tow truck.

"They are coming around, coming around," Pete screamed. But Whitney already had acquired the new threat and was shooting even as Pete yelled. The M-196 tracer bullets flicked through the air quick and nasty like the crack of a bull whip and seemed rather than shatter instead liquefy the attacking car's windshield. It dissolved into a sheet of jewels like sea spray hitting a rocky shore as the car lost control and went hard into the ditch kicking up even more dust and dirt.

"Magazine! Magazine!" Whitney yelled and Pete stabbed at him a twenty rounder with the bullets pointed forward and out. Whitney snatched it and smoothly sunk it into the Mini-14. He then slammed the bolt forward just as the car that rear ended the one now in the ditch drove around the over turned tow truck. They looked set and ready to fight bristling with guns out the open windows.

But Whitney took them cleanly riddling the sedan's windshield with a burst of ball ammunition and then held fire to empty what remained of the magazine into the side windows and doors as the car went driving by the Dodge truck.

The car never turned but drove straight down the road more as if it wanted to get away rather than to do them any harm. Then a hundred yards down the road the car noticed that the only cargo it carried was dead men and it veered into the ditch surfing over a wave of dirt and grass to come to a broken end.

Then suddenly it was quiet except for the hiss of the flames. "Oh my God Whitney, you got them all," Pete said in utter astonishment but Whitney had already turned dropping the empty Rugar Mini-14.

Whitney had been broken by Colonel Kim in a torture chamber in North Korea but then put together better than new by the best alien doctors in the galaxy. His enhanced nerves did their job as he drew the Colt 45 automatic so fast it was nothing but a blur.

He had seen two men roll out of the door of the Intergang sedan in the ditch. They started up the little embankment searching with their submachine guns for the author of all this incredible destruction.

Whitney's pistol was already in play as the Intergang shooters tried to get their guns on target. Whitney fired so quickly Pete thought for a second he had some kind of machine gun as the Colt Commander floated four empties at the same time in the air. It was that old favorite of "one in the heart and one in the head" and the Intergang shooters went down like rag dolls as the heavy 45 caliber slugs tore into them.

There was another moment of silence which Whitney used to change magazines for his Colt 45. Automatic.

Pete looked around. "Wow," he said. To Pete the road looked like the TV coverage of the Highway of Death outside Kuwait City in the first Gulf War when the Warthog A-10s and helicopter gunships had finished a good day of killing.

There were four wreaked vehicles, one upside down with a second one a burned out wreak host to oily flames still spilling smoke into the sky. There were bodies, blood pools, shards of glass and abandoned weapons everywhere.

"You got them all," said Pete. "You must have killed twenty men."

"More like a dozen. They were professionals, looking to do us harm and in doing so kill Lana and Chloe. They took their chances and we took ours."

Whitney scanned the sky until he spotted the Cessna plane. He knew the pilot would be scoping him with binoculars.

Whitney with a big smile gave the pilot a cherry wave. "You made a big mistake asshole, you never should have fucked with Smallville and you really should have left Lana and Chloe alone."

The Cessna Conquest turned toward Metropolis and the pilot must have pushed the throttles forward because it quickly disappeared into the Kansas sky. Whitney turned back to Pete, "Let's get saddled up and out of here before the highway patrol comes to investigate. We don't have the time to explain anything to anyone if we are going to have a chance at warning the girls or intercepting Viktor Sidiak."

Pete nodded gravely as if he understood, as if he was functioning normally but he was not. He was in shock at so much carnage, so fast, so much noise, and so much smoke. He was in a daze as Whitney bundled him into the cab of the truck. Minutes later they were on the road to Metropolis Airport.

Now in the truck heading to the airport Pete emotionally got it together and dug out Jason Teague's cell phone. He called Lex Corp and got Lex's personal secretary on the line. She recognized his voice and patched him through to Lex who was on a Lear Jet on route to Metropolis after a business meeting in Washington.

"Hi Pete, what is the big emergency that is more important than watching the Sharks play and then drinking cold beers while dissecting the football game?"

Pete ignored the question and got right to the point. "Lex, thank God I finally got through to you," Pete said in a raspy voice. "Intergang kidnapped me in the parking lot outside the stadium and shot me full of drugs. They worked me over and I am so sorry but I told them about the hunting cabin. Chloe and Lana's hideout has been compromised. I over heard them say they were sending a Russian sniper named Viktor Sidiak to kill the girls and the witness. You have to get word to them. The cabin is not safe. The Russian is already on his way, in the air as we speak. They have to bundle up the witness and her children and get as far away from that cabin as possible."

"Dam it! Ok but how the hell did you get away from Intergang? Are you alright?"

"I'm ok just suffering from a Phenobarbital-B hangover. As for being alive, let's just say I got help from an old friend." Even in all the tension and stress Whitney winked at Pete and while driving with one hand went back to checking his Weave blackberry look alike for messages from outer space.

Lex could feel something fishy was going on with Pete's answer but the unfolding crisis held his attention. "Ok but I want the whole story blow by blow after the girls are safe. I am on route to Metropolis Airport but will divert to Boise Idaho. The girls have a Jeep Cherokee 4x4 so I can call them now and they can meet us at the airport in Boise. I'll bundle them on the plane and fly them somewhere safe. The Russian sniper can't shoot them in a Lear Jet at 30,000 feet." Lex looked up at his personal assistant and told her to tell the pilot that they were diverting to Idaho and to file a new flight plan. She immediately disappeared through the entrance to the Lear Jet's cockpit.

Back in the truck Whitney was shaking his head at Pete and whispered his objections. Lex could hear Pete in discussions with someone but couldn't make out the conversation. Then Pete was back on the line, "That is too dangerous Lex since Viktor Sidiak is already in transit most likely on an air charter to Idaho and Intergang has you under surveillance. Viktor Sidiak is hours ahead of any of us and could be in ambush when the girls drive out to the airport to meet you. He could take them at any time. The girls have to get away from the cabin and not go anywhere obvious like the airport."

"Do you really think he would try to harm them at the Airport? The airport is pretty busy but let me think," then a moment later Lex's personal assistant came with an update from the pilot. The decision was made not by Lex but by the weather.

The personal assistant efficiently filled Lex in on the weather situation, "Sorry sir, the pilot says we can't divert to Idaho. There is a freak cold front moving in from Canada across central Idaho. The weather people say it will dump twenty inches of snow at least on the whole State. In a couple hours nothing will be moving and all roads will be closed until they can be plowed next morning. Also the airport in Bosie will only be open for a few more hours."

Lex groaned and then relayed the news to Pete. Pete asked for a minute to think and once again Lex was treated to a muffled conversation over the sound of the wind buffeting the truck as it sped down the highway to Metropolis Airport. Who could Pete be talking to? And how did he escape the Intergang kidnapping?

Pete was back, "Lex this is not looking good. Viktor Sidiak is already in the air so there is a good chance he will make the cut off and be able to land in Bosie before the snow closes the airport. We are simply on the wrong side of the country. The only chance is the girls can quickly pack up and drive out in 4x4 before the snowfall traps them at the cabin."

"But Pete if the girls get snowed in and can't get out then that also means Viktor Sidiak can't get to them."

It was starting to really irritate Lex as once again Pete dropped off the line for a secret conversation. This one took longer but then Pete came back on, "Snow won't stop this guy Lex; He spent the Afghan war trekking the mountains with a SPETSNAZ team hunting for Mujahideen. The snow will work for him not against him."

Lex was starting to get tense, "How do you know so much about this Russian? And since you and I don't have any ideas that work why don't you ask your friend you keep talking to what he suggests?"

Pete ignored Lex's sarcasm and instead after a moment answered, "Call Chloe and Lana and warn them about the Russian assassin. If they have a chance to drive out tell them to take it. The best defense is for them to get as far away from that cabin as possible. If they can't move then tell them to lock down the cabin and stay away from the windows." Pete paused for a second to talk again to his mysterious companion, "And tell them not to try to walk out. The Russian will just hunt them down by their tracks in the snow."

With his ear pressed against his phone Lex heard an auditable beep and then a second voice that sounded vaguely failure say to Pete, "That is a message from the Weave we may just get lucky." A few moments later Pete came back on the line, "I have to click off Lex so call the girls and warn them and then call me back on this number. There may be further developments to inform you about."

Lex felt like he was going to burst and said, "Ok but next call you owe me a full explanation…" but Pete had already hung up.

Lex dialed the cabin number in Idaho and listened as the phone rang. It was mid afternoon out there.

After three rings a giggling Lana pick up the line but before she said hello he heard her say, "Coffee flavored cup cakes are not a balanced diet Chloe," there were shrieks of laughter from the young girls and then Lana was on the line.

"Hello?"

"It's me Lana, there have been some developments. I don't want to scare your witnesses daughters so keep control and don't react."

"Ok, Lex no problems here; what is the problem there?"

"Pete is ok but this morning he was kidnapped by Intergang. They shot him full of truth serum and he couldn't help it but told them the location of the cabin. The cabin has been compromised."

"Good Lord! How do you know this if Pete is kidnapped?"

"Was kidnapped! Someone and he won't tell me who rescued him; all he would say is the rescuer was an old friend. Pete as we speak is on the road back to Metropolis. It is from the road he called me to tell me to warn you. Pete also confirmed that the rumors of a Russian assassin were true. The Russian is named Viktor Sidiak and he is already on the way to Idaho. You have to get away from the cabin."

Lana's head was spinning. She heard Lex's warning about the Russian coming and the danger but all she could think about was Pete's mysterious rescue."

"Lex I heard you about the cabin but before we talk about that do you think this old friend the mysterious rescuer of Pete could be…" Lana paused and wondered if she had the strength to say it but then Lex beat her to it. "I am thinking exactly the same thing but I always get my hopes up that he could be back whenever I hear of a mysterious rescue. My hopes always end in tears and disappointment."

Lana felt her lip begin to quiver, "But Lex this is not just a random mysterious rescue but one involving Pete Ross. Who is Pete Ross's best friend? What are we all thinking but not saying? I don't know about you but being from Smallville I think it is normal that the first person in a mysterious rescue of Pete Ross that would come to mind is Clark." As soon as Lana said Clark's name Chloe's head snapped around from her attempt to bake coffee cup cakes to stare at Lana. Lana just shrugged her shoulders in resignation at Chloe.

"I don't know for sure Lana but I really don't think it is Clark. I heard a voice in the background talking with Pete and the voice sounded vaguely familiar but it definitely was not Clark. I know I would recognize Clark's voice." Lex paused for a second and then said, "That is of course assuming the Clark in space is the same Kansas farm boy in plaid we knew in Smallville."

Lex suddenly realized that they were drifting way off topic and the immediate danger was Viktor Sidiak. "But speculation about Pete's rescue can wait. Right now you need to get everyone organized and get as far away from that cabin as possible."

Lana suddenly felt very vulnerable. "Lex we can't leave the cabin, at least not with the Jeep. It has been snowing hard here and an hour ago I tried to move the Jeep and couldn't. We checked with the weather service and they say it is going to snow for the rest of the day and then all night."

Lex was beginning to get really scared for the girls and his voice went up a few tones. "Pete's friend said you should drive as far away from that cabin as possible if you can but if you can't drive don't try to walk out. The Russian will just hunt you down in the open. He suggested locking down the cabin and staying away from the windows. The Russian is a sniper and can shoot you from as far away as you can see."

Lana held the phone away from her ear so Chloe could listen in, "Is that the only plan we have Lex, we just sit here and hope for the best?"

There was a pause and then Lex answered, "Lana I have a lot of resources but am on the other side of the country while the Russian is already in transit. I don't have the means to stop him or control the weather but I do have contacts at the CIA. They have the resources to help in situations like this and they owe me. Now I have to call Pete back and fill him in and then get Langley on the line and start calling in favors."

"Ok, I know you are doing all you can and I want to thank you for the warning and good luck to all of us," with that Lana reluctantly hung up.

Lana quickly filled in Chloe with the complete story while the two young girls continued to try to make cub cakes. Lana and Chloe managed to keep their voices even as they discussed the possibility that the Russian sniper was even now closing in on them.

They agreed not to say anything to the young girls but need to tell their mother so they could get a lock down organized and to explain why no one should leave the cabin and go outside.

Meanwhile on the other side of the country Whitney was reading a message from outer space.

Whitney was hoping to get lucky and maybe discover that Thor-el was coming through the worm hole or was only a single collapse star jump away from the Sol system but the result was no such luck. There was a message waiting for him but just not from anyone he expected.

Whitney opened the message and was never more surprised to find that there actually was a Weave space speeder very close to the Sol system. The problem was Viktor Sidiak would be in position by dawn while the Weave space speeder wouldn't arrive on earth until an hour after the break of dawn.

It really was unusual to have a Weave space speeder so close to the Sol System but then the mystery deepened when Whitney saw who was piloting and crewing the space ship. In less than a second Whitney put it together and he knew that Viktor Sidiak wasn't going to be the only one hunting Lana Lang in the morning on Planet Smallville.

Whitney drove with one hand as he once again checked the spatial navigational co-ordinates of the Weave space speeder. There was no mistake the Weave space speeder was on a direct vector course for Earth. He thought they had given up on their bloody quest for revenge but the crew manifest was clear. The Weave space speeder was being manned by three of the Weave best and brightest warriors.

Aisha and the Kzin twins were coming to visit Earth and there could be only one reason for such a visit. That reason involved Lana Lang's head being separated from her body.

Whitney couldn't believe it. What was it about Lana Lang that attracted so dam much trouble? She was already being hunted by the most accomplished assassin in the world. Then here on the same day there are three of the fiercest warriors in the galaxy coming to visit earth with the express purpose of collecting her head.

Pete noticed that the blood had drained out of Whitney's face. "Whitney, is there a message? Is anyone coming to Earth to help?"

Whitney just shook his head, "They are coming to earth but not to help." He turned to Pete and in a grave voice said, "Pete, I have to get to that cabin in Idaho. I am the only one that can save them now."

"What do you mean? If Lex, Lana or Chloe see you the secret is out. That can't happen if Clark has a chance of ever coming back to earth."

"That's not the problem Pete, there is a Weave space speeder on course for Earth and it will arrive tomorrow an hour or so after dawn. The problem is who is crewing the Weave space speeder. They are three of the best warriors in the entire galaxy and they are looking for revenge. What I am saying is they blame Lana for Clark's super emotion depression attacks. They are loyal to a fault and are coming after Lana. I thought I had talked them out of it but it looks like they didn't take it to heart. Tomorrow it is not only Viktor Sidiak that is going to be on a mission to kill Lana Lang."

Pete couldn't believe it what had happened so far today. He had been kidnapped, drugged and then rescued by Smallville High's sixty five year old ex-star quarterback but today was going to be normal compared to what tomorrow is bringing.

He really didn't want to have Whitney involved because it would risk exposure of Clark's secret but after listening to Whitney outline the danger from the Weave warriors Pete intellectually but not emotionally accepted that it was just a chance they were going to have to take.

The only way to ensure the safety of Chloe, Lana and the witness and her two daughters was to intercept the master sniper Viktor Sidiak and to have Whitney in person at the cabin in Idaho to meet the arrival of the space ship and stop the Weave warriors from killing Lana Lang.

"How could they even find Lana on a planet of six billion? How would they know where even to start looking?"

"Pete these are the Kzin twins, two of the best scan techs in Fleet. They could track a snow flake through an arctic blizzard. Then there is Aisha who hunts down and kills planetary pirates as a hobby and is the youngest fleet officer to ever win the Starmount metal. All three of them are the epitome of courage, loyalty and duty but also are very comfortable with violence of action as a solution to any problem they find. And as far as these three are concerned Lana Lang is a problem that can only be solved by extreme violence. They are not evil but just more loyal to Clark than is healthy for any of Clark's enemies. And as far as these three are concerned Lana Lang is Clark's greatest enemy."

Whitney told Pete what he has to do, "Call Lex Luther back and get us invited to the meeting where Lex and the CIA plan the rescue of Lana and Chloe from Intergang. I don't know how but I have to get to that cabin before morning to first nail Victor Sidiak and then to stand between three space warriors and Lana until I can calm them down until cooler heads prevail."

Pete rolled his eyes, "And I thought there was no way this situation could get more complicated?"

The mobile phone rang and Pete picked it up, "Hello?"

Lex wanted to grill Pete on who was in the truck with him but the crisis at hand took precedent. He told Pete that the girls were snowed in at the cabin but he had been able to warn them about Viktor Sidiak. He also told Pete that he was in contact with the CIA to arrange the resources needed to protect the girls.

Lex had thought it would cost every single favor he had to get the CIA to cooperate but was surprised when the agency came on board seconds after finding out that Viktor Sidiak was the assassin. The CIA had been hunting Viktor Sidiak for years and now they saw this as their chance to finally capture the freelance Russian assassin and while doing a job on American soil no less.

Finally the moment came that Pete had been dreading. "Lex that sounds good but I need to be at the meeting where you and the CIA are planning to stop the assassination."

"Pete that is not your area of expertise, you have been through a real ordeal today so we will take it from here."

Pete cut Lex off, "You are not listening Lex; I didn't ask but said I need to be there and I need to bring my old friend that just rescued me from Intergang. He can provide insight into Viktor Sidiak that no one at the CIA is capable of due to his particular area of expertise and experience. What I need from you Lex is transportation when we get to Metropolis Airport to CIA headquarters at Langley. And I need security papers available for pick up confirming that both I and my old friend are Lex Corp employees with full security clearance so we can get into Langley."

Lex started to argue but then it hit him; this was his chance to find out who was Pete's mysterious rescuer. "Ok Pete, my assistant is working on it and I will have your itinerary in a few minutes. I am just going to drop off the line for a moment. Don't hang up but keep it open."

Pete could hear some discussion going on in the background and in a couple minutes Lex came back on the line.

"Pete there is some problems with having a Lex Corp Jet available at the airport. The Lex Corp Jet at the airport instead of being on standby is in maintenance and won't be available for two to three hours. However my assistant has you and your friend booked on a commercial fight. Just jump on the flight and after you land a helicopter will be waiting to whisk you out to CIA headquarters. All I need from you is the name that should appear on the Lex Corp employee papers for your old friend."

"Just a second Lex," Pete turned to Whitney. "What name can I tell him without raising Lex's suspicions and putting Clark's secret at risk?"

Whitney knew it was going to come to this and didn't see a way out. "Pete, Clark is millions of light years away and if they really are Clark's friends they will keep quiet. Besides if they don't keep quiet we can always let Aisha and the Kzin twins loose on them. You have to tell them the truth. If Langley runs my finger prints or retinal scan and it doesn't match up it's an instant red flag."

"But what if they run your prints and they find out that you are a missing in action black opts operator?"

"We have no choice but have to risk it. If they are not suspicious and assume I am just a regular Lex Corp employee we will get away with it. They will only run my retinal scan and prints against their data base of black opts operatives if they have a reason. It's a risk we have to take."

Pete had for years protected Clark and felt that now after all this time he would finally commit the ultimate betrayal of Clark by allowing the first cracks to appear in keeping the secret. He hesitated but then the decision was made.

Pete knew Clark kept his secret to protect his friends so would never agree to keep the secret if that meant putting them in danger. And today the danger of Viktor Sidiak and the crew of the Weave space speeder on a mission of revenge were as extreme as danger could be.

"Lex, please make up the Lex Corp employee security papers for Pete Ross and Whitney Fordman, native of Smallville."

For the rest of his life Lex was thankful that fate had not dictated that Pete Ross could see the look on his face. Lex always liked to be in control and projecting his trademark look of unflappable calm cool sophistication was hard to maintain when your jaw is on the floor.

Lex quickly pulled himself together and ran through the potential scenarios in his head. Whitney was back but Pete didn't know that Lex knew Whitney had been away with Clark fighting a war in outer space. Lex wondered what bullshit story Pete was going to tell him to explain the presence of Whitney but more importantly protect Clark's secret.

Lex realized that the conversation had gone silent for a bit too long so trying to sound as normal as possible Lex asked, "Ok, just let me confirm the names, you and Whitney Fordman from Smallville?"

"That is correct."

"We have a lot to talk about Pete."

"I know but it is going to have to wait until the girls are safe."

Lex was forever happy that Pete couldn't see the look on his face when he first heard the name Whitney Fordman but he was forever disappointed that he couldn't see the look of surprise laced with horror when he dropped the following bomb on Pete. "I know but it's just a surprise to hear the name of your old friend. I knew Whitney Fordman was not in a grave in Smallville but I assumed that Whitney Fordman was a long way from Kansas. And I mean a long way not in miles but in light years."

Now it was Pete's turn to do the silent freak-out. What the hell was going on? Why would Lex say "light years"? Did Lex know the secret? Pete knew that Lex was intelligent and obsessive and even now after years Lex still carried his suspicions about the mystery that was Clark Kent. But how could Lex know that Whitney was an integral part of Clark Kent's life fighting a war of freedom for the galaxy? Pete really didn't have the time deal with it so just ignored Lex's comment.

Pete with his head spinning said, "Whitney Fordman is the name so could you just get the security papers made up?"

Pete clicked off for a moment and Lex could hear a short muffled discussion and then Pete was back on the line. "Lex call back Chloe and Lana and make them promise to stay in the cabin and away from the windows. Make them understand that Viktor Sidiak is as dangerous an assassin as there is on earth. Also tell them that Viktor Sidiak is not the only danger they will be facing so be on their guard even after the Russian is neutralized. And finally tell them that Whitney Fordman is on the way to Idaho to rescue them."

Pete could hear the doubt in Lex's voice, "Are you sure Pete?"

"Just do it Lex, their only chance is to be aware of just how dangerous Viktor Sidiak is and they need to know that Whitney coming."

"Ok you've got it Pete. Just to recap sorry that a private jet is not available but your two tickets will be ready for pick up at the gate for your commercial fight. On the other end a private helicopter will be waiting for you. The helicopter pilot will give you and Whitney Fordman your security papers. I will be in a planning room in Langley with their top logistical black ops team working on a scenario to intercept and stop Viktor Sidiak. I'll see you and Whitney Fordman as soon as you get here."

"Ok Lex don't forget to call and fill in Chloe and Lana."

Pete hung up and with huge bugged out eyes looked at Whitney. "It is so weird after years of protecting Clark to have as big crack suddenly appear in the secret wall. I mean how are we going to cover up you coming back from the grave looking sixty five years old?"

Whitney save Pete a bemused smile, "If there is one thing I have learned in the last forty years of fighting from one end of the galaxy to the other is: Don't sweat the small shit and never forget its all small shit. Clark is on the other side of the galaxy and millions of light years from a government lab. Who would believe Lex Luther even if he said something? What we have to concentrate on is first intercepting Viktor Sidiak and then getting to Lana before the Kzin twins tear her apart or Aisha melts the flesh off her bones with a pulse ray rifle."

Whitney turned onto the exit ramp for the Metropolis Airport, "In a nutshell Pete we are going to be very busy for the next twenty four hours."

Whitney parked the truck and handed the keys to Pete, "You keep the keys Pete since I really doubt if I will be coming back this way again. After this is all over no matter how it turns out please drop the truck off at my mothers."

Whitney flung a piece of tarp over his arsenal of slug throwers behind the truck seat. "I can't take my guns on a commercial fight so when you get a chance please lock them in the secure gun cabinet in my mother's basement. Man I wish I could bring my AWM Lapua Magnum on the plane. I have a feeling I am going to need my sniper rifle before this is all over."

Whitney and Pete jogged across the long term parking lot and into the terminal. They checked in at the first class counter and as Lex promised their prepaid tickets were waiting for them. Twenty minutes later the skyline of Metropolis disappeared behind as they flew to Virginia.

Then like the tickets as Lex said there was a helicopter waiting for them. The pilot handed them plastic laminated ID cards identifying them as Lex Corp employees. They landed on the helicopter pad at CIA headquarters at Langley Virginia. Lex's assistant met them and whisked the two of them through security to the planning center for black opts.

Pete and Whitney stepped through the door and saw a buzz of activity. There were analysts brainstorming scenarios in front of computer scenes showing stimulated 3D maps of the Lost River Range in Idaho. In the middle of the mess was the shinny head of Lex Luther who was talking to a man in uniform who appeared to be in charge.

Lex's assistant touched Pete's arm, "Mr Luther told me to bring you and your friend straight to him as soon as you get here so if you could please follow me." She led them over to where Lex and the man in uniform were in a deep discussion.

Lex turned to Pete and Whitney and to Lex's horror he did a complete double take as he looked into the sixty five year old face of Whitney Fordman.

Pete didn't have a clue how to react and any semblance of a cover story disappeared from his mind.

Whitney almost laughed out loud at the two of them, "Well Lex Luther you look just about as surprised as Pete did when I waded across a swamp earlier today?"

Whitney turned to the man in uniform. The man's face was frozen and his jaw was hanging down as he stared at Whitney Fordman.

Whitney smiled and cocked an eyebrow at the man in uniform, "Well Burghardt I see they finally made you a full Colonial."

Burghardt was looking at a ghost. It looked like him but older. The face was old but the voice was the same.

The last time Colonial Burghardt had seen that face it was on a Marine sniper scout that held off a Battalion of North Korean mountain troops in the Changingang Valley. The same Marine sniper scout that saved his special opts team, the physicist Soon Ko Lee and never broke under torture so made it possible for them to escape from North Korean by crossing the Yalu River into China.

Colonial Brughardt cleared his throat and tried to find his voice. The face was old but the body was still as straight as an arrow. Was it really him? The proof was in the voice and the eyes. But how was it possible?

Colonial Brughardt leaned forward and looked into the blue eyes of Whitney Fordman.

He had to know, "Is that you Quarterback?"

To be continued as Part 53: Race against the Russian!


	57. A Call To Arms Part 53a

Part 53a: Race Against the Russian! Part I!

Whitney just had to grin. He hadn't had this much fun since he went hunting with Puss'n'Boot and Chuut Ritt on the Kzin home world and for that hunt they were all riding small dinosaurs. "Now Burghardt or I should say Colonel Burghardt? Since there is still not a body in the coffin buried under Whitney Fordman's tombstone in Smallville it must mean I am the Quarterback. So yes it's me standing right here in front of you."

Colonel Brughardt swallowed hard, "But what happened? You were in prison in North Korea and then a North Korean defector said you somehow escaped. The defector's story didn't make sense. He said during your escape two battalions of North Korea troops were destroyed under mysterious circumstances. How did you escape and take out two battalions?"

"I did escape but it was my rescuers that destroyed the two North Korean battalions."

"How did these rescuers do it? Who were they? We studied that Gulag from all angles and concluded it was impossible." Colonel Brughardt gestured at Whitney's face which held his sparkling blue eyes that were framed by deep laugh lines, "And what happened to you? Why do you look like this?"

Colonel Brughardt suddenly remembered he was a full colonel, "Tell me the truth Quarterback because I am still your superior officer and I will call security and have you in irons until this is sorted out. That is assuming you really are Whitney Fordman."

Whitney stiffened for a second and then relaxed, "First off Brughardt don't every try to pull rank on me. You are not the only one that got promoted. Second you can't handle the truth. Third, slap me in irons and then when my current comrades in arms show up to rescue me it will make what happened to those two battalions of North Korean troops turned into well done pop tarts look like a Sunday school picnic."

Whitney stepped forward and in a low voice said, "And don't question my loyalty to my country, my species or my planet. This is me and here is the proof so listen up."

Both Lex and Pete leaned forward while Colonial Brughardt leaned back away from the dynamo that was Whitney Fordman. "Brughardt the last time we spoke our special opts team had snatched an incredibly beautiful scientist Soon Ko Lee from the Chungbong Gulag in Yanggangdo Province, North Korea. Our team was high tailing it up the Chagningang Valley heading to the Alpha LZ and if that went bad the back up plan was go to Exit Plan Beta which meant crossing the Yalu River to escape into China. We got bounced and ended up with a North Korean Mountain Battalion on our heels. The back door had to be held shut so I played Horticus at the Bridge. Last thing I said to you was I always thought I would get slotted and my body send back to finally fill my empty coffin buried in Smallville. You said, 'Sorry Quarterback no such luck". I answered "Ya, no such luck" and then pushed your sorry ass down the ridge."

Colonel Burghardt knew that no one else on earth knew of that last conversation but Whitney Fordman. The Colonels face said it all while his voice said, "Oh my God, you really are him. You are the Quarterback. But what happened to your face?"

The Fordman smile came beaming back, "Why get a face lift when face drops are so much cheaper? And don't ask me how it happened because you wouldn't believe me even if I did tell you."

Colonel Burghardt gave an inward smile, only Whitney Fordman had that particular sense of humor. "Ok, Quarterback, no more questions for now. Daylight is burning and we have a mission to flesh out so we discuss the state of your face later. Right now however I do have one question that has to be answered: Why are you getting involved in this mess of organized crime and international assassins?"

"Don't you remember that picture of a girl I used to carry?"

"Oh yea, it was a photo from a high school year book and even with year book quality your girlfriend was a real knockout."

"Well she is one of Viktor Sidiak's targets in that cabin out in Idaho?"

The pieces came together in Colonel Burghardt's head with a bang. "Shit, even though that photograph was taken in high school I should have recognized her from all the times her photograph has been on the cover of the Daily Planet. So your little sweetheart back in high school is today Metropolis's crusading prosecutor Lana Lang?"

"Right in one. So you now know why I am here. Also I know about Viktor Sidiak. I was friends with the Canadian sniper that almost killed him in a sniper duel in the Panjshir valley during the Afghan war. That means I can help you and the mission. Now tell me what do we have put together so far to take him out?"

Colonel Burghardt led Whitney over to the mission table in the center of the black opts planning room and started to outline some theoretical scenarios to stop Viktor Sidiak.

Lex took the opportunity to speak with Pete alone. He slid up to Pete and whispered, "The Colonel can't handle the truth but I can since I already know the truth."

Pete's eyes narrowed, he didn't want to be tricked into a reveal by a Lex Luthor that was just bluffing. "I am not going to say anything to you Lex. I know you are a good guy but it is Clark's secret and not mine to tell."

Lex looked Pete straight in the eye, "Pete you don't have to tell me or the girls anything. Together the three of us figured it out over a year ago. It was just a matter of putting the pieces together and then finally one night of brainstorming together on the balcony of my penthouse we did just that. Clark is a real life Warrior Angel. A visitor from another world brought to earth through fate and circumstance that has super powers he used to become the anonymous teenage hero of Smallville."

Pete felt like the floor under his soles was going to burst into flame but then he caught himself and gave Lex what he hoped looked like a bemused snicker. "That's a pretty wild story Lex; did your drugs finally kick in? Or maybe you actually have some proof to back up such a fantasy?"

Lex with a look of triumph said, "Don't play games with me Pete; today we just don't have the time. And to answer your question about proof; of course we confirmed our conclusions through a third party."

Pete was still shocked that Lex figured it out but still didn't drop his guard. It was still possible that Lex was not sure about his theory and was just looking for confirmation so Pete played it cool. "Lex you never should have taken off your tinfoil hat because now you are being controlled by the voices in your head. There isn't any third party because your story of little green men is a fairy tale."

Lex just smirked, "You forget that one of Lana Lang's biggest fans in all of Smallville is Whitney Fordman's mother." Pete felt his heart jump into his throat as Lex finished his explanation, "After our all night brainstorm we flew to Smallville the next day and Lana had a long talk with Mrs. Fordman that resulted in a lot of tears and confirmation of our conclusions. So the façade is over and that means between the Smallville Musketeers lets agree not to play any more games. You and the Kents can count on both me and the girls to never reveal Clark's secret but as of this moment let's just drop all the bull shit."

Pete didn't know what to say and felt breathless as the realization hit him that Clark's secret was finally out. He tried to answer but could only stammer but then finally mumbled, "I can't deal this with now so let's wait until the girls are safe and we can talk about it then."

Then if the secret being out wasn't enough Pete remembered Whitney's message from outer space. Above all else somehow they had to get Whitney on site at the cabin to first take out Viktor Sidiak and then to stop Aisha and the Kzin twins from collecting Lana Lang's head.

Pete leaned over to Lex and said in a low voice, "Listen Lex we really can't talk about it but listen carefully. Don't ask why, I don't have time to explain, but to save the girls Whitney has to somehow find a way to get to the cabin in Idaho early tomorrow morning. There is more than just a Russian sniper after the girls."

Lex tried to break in but Pete held up his hand. "Not now, we don't have the time. Just believe me when I say their lives depend on it and remember only Whitney has a chance to stop the second threat."

"Why?"

"Because of the nature of the threat; it's from…" then with a little shake of his finger Pete pointed up.

"What? Are you pointing where I think you are pointing?"

"Not now Lex, just remember Whitney has to get to that cabin so follow his lead."

Lex bit his tongue and it took all his mental strength to keep from screaming at Pete for the answer. What stopped him was the look in Pete's eyes. Pete was telling the truth and the truth was deadly serious. "Ok Pete, I'm under control but later we have a lot to talk about. Come on, we better get join the others over at the planning table and get into the game." The two Smallville Musketeers walked over to where two analysts were briefing different rescue scenarios to Colonel Burghardt and Whitney Fordman.

Lex broke into the discussion, "Excuse me but I have to call Lana Lang and let her know what is happening?"

Pete turned to Lex, "What the hell! I thought you already spoke to her?"

Lex answered, "I did but not a second time. I wanted to wait until there was a viable rescue plan figured out so I wouldn't have to once again tell her to just lock down the cabin and stay away from the windows."

Pete with a low voice hissed at Lex, "We have to get on the ball and call her and tell her about the second threat." Pete then waved at Whitney to come over to him and then making eye contact with Colonel Burghardt told him, "We will just borrow the Quarterback for a few minutes. You can have him back right after the phone call."

Pete, Lex and Whitney moved away from the table where the black opts team and analyses were running down rescue scenarios.

Lex looked back and forth between Pete and Whitney and holding up his phone said, "Ok what do I need to tell her about the second threat?"

Whitney raised an eye brow at Pete who just said, "I had to tell him in case we need his support to get you to the cabin in order to stop the threat from outer space."

"I still don't know what this outer space threat is; are you telling me Lana is going to be attacked by space aliens?"

"Lex for once in your life shut up and just listen," Pete barked at him.

Whitney took control, "Ok tell Lana that we are still working on a way to get to cabin in time to stop the Russian sniper. But there is another threat even if the Russian is caught in an avalanche walking in or has a heart attack or whatever. There will be three aliens showing up at the cabin in the morning that are companions in arms of both Clark and myself. They are very angry with Lana and want to kill her. It is a point of honor for them that is related to her being a threat to Clark Kent so I really doubt if there is any sure way for her to talk them out of killing her."

Whitney sighed, "I can only think of three things for her to try if I am not there to stop the Weave warriors. First, tell Lana to remind them that if they kill her then it will be her death that exposes Clark Kent to fatal danger."

"But how would Lana's death put Clark Kent in danger?"

Whitney rolled his eyes, "Don't you ever shut up and just listen to the facts?"

Lex started to answer but Whitney cut him off, "That wasn't a fucking question but an observation. Now listen; second tell Lana to remind them that Whitney Fordman is their superior officer and he has ordered them not to kill her. I doubt if that will work without me to back it up but it may slow them down and then Lana should try her final card. Let's hope it is an ace. The last chance is she should tell them that Whitney Fordman has been captured and they need to rescue me. She needs to convince them that she is the only one that knows where I am being held captive."

Pete's eyes bugged out, "Holy shit Whitney are you telling me you are going to bait space aliens into busing into CIA headquarters in Langley thinking they need to rescue you?"

Whitney gave Pete a look like he was completely insane while Lex looked like he was going to lose control of his bodily functions. "Pete are you crazy? Those three Weave warriors would rip this place apart and kill not hundreds but thousands of innocent people looking for me."

Whitney gave a sheepish smile, "Look to be honest I am grasping as straws but I can't think of anything else so here it is: Lana tells the Kzin twins and Aisha that I am being held captive on the Kent Farm in Smallville. If they don't kill her on the spot she can show them where the Kent Farm is and thus where exactly I am being held prisoner."

Whitney shrugged his shoulders, "It's a long shot since I really expect moments after they tell Lana that they are killing her because she is an enemy of Clark they will tear her to pieces. But you never know? If they think she will be useful to help find me faster then they could with a planet wide bio scan then they may keep her alive until they get to the Kent farm for my so called rescue."

"But why the Kent farm," Lex had to ask.

"It's a long shot for Lana Lang's survival but a logical one. These Weave warriors have never been to Earth so have never met the Kents but have heard about Clark's parents from Puss'n'Boots, Chuut Ritt and me."

Lex looked confused, "Puss'n'Boots?"

Whitney shut him up, "Let me finish Luther. The Kents have experience with aliens including the very excitable and volatile Kzin and the Kents love Lana Lang. Even though they don't know the Kents personally the Kzin twins and Alisha have a lot of respect for Clark's parents. Even Thor-el has praised the Kents in front of Alisha and the Kzin twins so there is a chance the Kents will be able to get emotionally between the Weave warriors and Lana and calm things down. It's the only option I have that doesn't involve me being on the scene."

"What a hell of an option?" Lex exclaimed.

"You are telling me," Whitney answered, "But it's the only game in town. The truth is that if I don't get to that valley by dawn tomorrow either Viktor Sidiak will kill everyone or three space aliens on their first visit to earth are going to kill Lana Lang. Now you better call Lana and fill her in on the three options to try to keep her head attached to her shoulders; that's if they do get lucky and somehow survive Viktor Sidiak."

Lex held out the phone. "Whitney maybe you should make that call?"

Whitney shook his head, "Not a chance Lex, It has been almost fifty years since I saw Lana at that bus stop in Smallville. I loved her then as I love her now and my heart is still pretty fragile when it comes to that girl. I am going to need my war face on if Viktor Sidiak is going to be stopped and talking to Lana now could put me over an emotional edge rather than getting into bad guy mode for combat. Just call her and fill her in and don't let her waste time by asking the same stupid questions you did. It's Showtime so get in the game."

Lex nodded in answer and said, "I just wish I had a real rescue plan to tell her," as he dialed the number for the cabin.

Whitney with Lex a grim smile said, "There is a plan, it's me. Let her know that I am coming and will find a way to protect her. Just don't let her ask for details on how I am going to get there."

At the hideout cabin in an Idaho blizzard:

Two little girls were looking out at the snow coming down in their hidden valley. The two of them watched as the world outside whitened. They could see the empty corral and beyond it the small barn. There was no pack horses way up here so they didn't have to worry about feeding animals. They were about a mile from a high lonely ribbon of dirt that was more path than road which connected them way down below their mountain valley to Route 93.

They could see them but the girls knew every direction was dominated by mountains. Lex Luthor's cabin was in a high alpine meadow that was over looked by Mount McCaleb which was unseen in the driving show of the blizzard. Farther to the north was Leatherman Peak and to the south Invisible Mountain. There was a sense of the presence of the huge mountains sealing them into the valley even if now behind the blowing show the huge mountains were invisible.

Chloe noticed the two pairs of little feet sticking out from beneath the curtains. She realized they were looking out of the window and was over in a flash. "Hey, what did your mother tell you about going near the windows? Now you guys come away from there and come into the kitchen with me and Aunt Lana."

"Burrr," said one of the girls, "It looks so cold."

"It will stop snowing in the morning just before dawn if the weatherman is right," said Chloe.

"Can we go sledding tomorrow? I saw a sled in the barn."

Chloe was careful with her answer. She didn't want to scare the girls." Maybe in the afternoon but not in the morning. Don't worry munchkins; the snow will still be there after lunch."

Lana heard what was happening and called to the girls, ""Come in here girls and get some hot chocolate." Lana smiled at Chloe, "Leave it to Lex Luthor to have real marshmallows and rich Belgium chocolate in a mountain cabin."

The girls squealed and rushed into the kitchen. Lana and Chloe with their combo spunky personality and laughing eyes had become the two favorite people in the whole wide world for the two little girls.

"You know what girls?" said Lana, "I think it should be a soup night. Don't you girls think so? After all what is better than a cold blizzard, a nice fire, hot chocolate and soup and crackers?"

The girls giggled as they watched the most beautiful woman they had ever seen rummage through the kitchen. Over her shoulder Lana said, "Leave it to Lex to have the best equipped mountain cabin in the whole wide world. Here we have grommet crackers from watercress and two choices from the New Covent Garden Soup Company: Thai Green Curry with Chicken and Plum Italian Tomato & Crème Fraiche. Now that sounds yummy."

Chloe buzzed into the Kitchen, "Ok so it's soup and crackers and then with just the light of the fire we can watch a DVD before bed. Not the Little Mermaid, though. I cannot sit through that again."

"But I love the Little Mermaid," squealed one of the girls.

The girl's mother quickly settled the Little Mermaid question. "Come on girls, lets let Aunt Chloe pick the movie tonight. She is a little tired of the Little Mermaid and so am I."

Chloe bent over and dropped a marshmallow in each of the girl's mugs of hot chocolate. "How about Aladdin, it is set in Baghdad at the time of the 1001 Arabian nights with a Jennie, an evil sorcerer, a pet tiger and a hero in love with a princess named Jasmine."

"Do you think Aunt Lana looks like Princess Jasmine?" squealed one of the girls.

Chloe just rolled her eyes at Lana and then turned back to the girls, "Yes I think she looks like a princess along with every man that has ever met Lana Lang."

The little group was snug in the cabin but only the young girls were relaxed. Everyone else knew that there was a Russian assassin outside that was closing in on them. They didn't have any options for running but could only keep up a brave face and hope that Lex Luther and the CIA came up with a plan to stop Viktor Sidiak.

Chloe and Lana had locked down the cabin as best they could and the plan was for everyone to sleep together in the basement using sleeping bags and thermo rest mats instead of upstairs in the regular bedrooms. The only weapons they had were some kitchen knives, a steel poker from the fireplace and a broom handle.

Lana knew that unless the FBI or SWAT got to them in time there is no way a broom handle was going to be any protection from a bullet from a sniper rifle five hundred yards away. She really was hoping that the phone would ring and Lex would be on the other end to tell them a plan was in place to take out the Russian assassin.

The soup and crackers went down well with the video as the group curled up in front of the TV and the fire. For the first time since Lex called to tell her that Pete had been kidnapped and the Russian assassin was hunting them Lana kind of relaxed. She had really enjoyed being at the isolated cabin with her best female friend Chloe and the Witnesses young daughters but to be honest Lana was starting to feel the onset of cabin fever. She had always had a very active sex drive and the last time she got laid had been the night she picked up the Metropolis Star's crime reporter Andy Crocker in Rodney's Oyster bar. As far as Lana Lang's body was concerned that was sex just too long ago. So besides suffering from cabin fever after a week in the mountains Lana was simply getting really horny.

She realized just how horny when in the middle of Aladdin Lana caught herself having a fantasy of a ménage a toi on a flying carpet that involved going down on Jasmine while Aladdin took her from behind. The funny thing was in her fantasy Aladdin looked like a Kansas farm boy that lost the plaid for tenth century Arabic clothes.

Lana was panting before she caught herself. Thank Allah no one noticed how her face was deeply flushed. She winced. Taking things in hand every night was just not getting the job done like wrapping yourself around a warm body. Her lack of sex was really getting out of hand when both Aladdin and Jasmine were looking just too attractive.

A sex fantasy about cartoon characters was no way to spend time on a night that could be your last. Lana was really wishing that Lex would get back to her with an explanation on who rescued Pete and what the plan was to stop Viktor Sidiak from killing them.

Then as if on cue the telephone in the cabin rang. Chloe and the Witness looked at her but Lana was already on her feet. In two strides she picked up the phone and was on the other side of the main floor of the cabin out of easy hearing of the little girls when she brought the phone to her ear.

"Hello?"

"It's Lex; I don't know how much time we have so just listen…"

Later Lex would recall just how irritating it was to have Lana Lang constantly interrupt him looking for an explanation. The only time she had shut up was when he told her Pete's mysterious rescuer was none other than her first love Whitney Fordman. When Lana heard that name she felt like someone that knocked her feet out from under her with a steel crowbar. For a second she thought her legs would collapse but her knees held and she made a controlled decent and managed to land on a chair and not tumble onto the floor. It was just unbelievable that Whitney Fordman was back on earth and had saved Pete Ross from certain death.

Lana fought to take it all in as Lex told her that they hadn't come up with anything yet but the CIA had their best black opts people working on a plan to intercept Viktor Sidiak. The only thing they could do at the cabin was the same as before; lock down and hope that help made it to the cabin in time to stop the Russian.

Lana thought that the return of Whitney Fordman was the biggest surprise she was ever going to hear in a telephone call but then Lex told her that three space aliens that were fighting with Clark were also coming to kill her.

Either Lana's head was spinning or the room was. It was all too much! Why does every one from meter freaks to Intergang hit men to space aliens always want to kill her?

Lana tried to control her breathing; they always want to either kill or shag her. How come there was never any in between action?

It was on days like this Lana felt if she looked up she would see hell overhead waving down at her.

Lex insisted she repeat back what Whitney had said to try to convince the space aliens not to kill her on the spot. Lana was half way through when she just couldn't stand it any more and tried to ask Lex for more details on Whitney. Lex was beginning to understand how in a life and death situation asking endless questions was so dam irritating. Lex just cut her off and all he would say is Whitney wants her to know that he will get to the cabin in time to stop Viktor Sidiak. Lana didn't seem to know exactly why but in a small way it was comforting to know that her first love was on the way.

They had finished exchanging the facts when Lex started to tell her some details about Whitney when the telephone line went dead. It didn't take a survival genius to figure out that considering the circumstances a telephone line going dead was in no way a good sign. Lana knew that with the blizzard there was a reasonable chance that the heavy snow fall could have brought down the telephone line but when Intergang is hunting you coincidence starts to become the long shot.

Before the idea of a Russian assassin hunting them had been almost an abstract danger but holding a dead telephone to your ear when a moment before Lex Luther had been taking brings the reality of the danger into focus.

Lana called out to Chloe to join her in the kitchen. She took a deep breath and started to fill Chloe in on Lex's phone call and the fact that the phone line went dead in the middle of the call. Chloe let out a little squeak when Lana told her that Lex said Whitney Fordman was going to find a way to get to them. When Lana finished Chloe's eyes said it all. The biggest story of all time was coming tomorrow in a space ship but before she could write it a Russian assassin was going to kill her. Chloe knew she should be thinking about other things since this really might be their last night alive but as a reporter she really felt cheated she wasn't going to get a chance to write the story.

In the Lost River Range of Idaho:

The snow didn't scare Viktor Sidiak. He had seen snow before. He had lived and hunted men in snow. He had trekked the high mountains of Afghanistan with a SPETSNAZ team hunting humans. The snow was the sniper's ally. It drove security forces under cover; it grounded enemy air cover and best of all it covered a sniper's tracks. The Russian loved snow.

The snow fell in huge lofty feathers at first. A wet lush snow from a dark mountain sky. The kind of snow that adhered and quickly covered the earth in the lowlands. Up higher it blew around the cold rock ridges and hid the movement of a sniper moving in for a kill.

Viktor Sidiak was striding with a good rhythm as he worked his way along the ridge as if it was a side walk that led through the mountains. He wore a pair of night vision goggles which lit the way for him as he walked through green tinted whiteness along the snowy ridge.

The wind of the blizzard howled as the snow cut across the ridge diagonally, gathering lower down or swirling around the rocks. Viktor Sidiak felt good. He wore a Gore-Tex parka over a down vest, mountain pants, mountain boots, long fleece underwear and a black wool knit cap. His boots were nice expensive American ones by Danner and were as comfortable as any he'd ever worn, much nicer than the old Soviet military issue he had in Afghanistan.

He had a canteen of hot green tea, a Garman GPS with a Suunto compass for backup, forty rounds of hand loaded ammo to partner his Remington 700 rifle, Leica laser range finding binoculars and a Glock 19 automatic pistol in a shoulder holster with fifteen rounds of 147 grain Federal Hydra-Shocks in the magazine and two other spare mags hanging under his other shoulder. He'd improvised a snow cape for camouflage from some white bed sheets he stole from the airport hotel in Boise.

There had been a snag on Route 93 when two Idaho troopers had stopped his 4x4 to inform him that the road was closed. He had smiled at them and thanked them for their concern and then calmly killed them. A few miles later he had pulled over and abandoned the Jeep to start his walk in toward Mount McCaleb. When he got to McCaleb he'd climb to about two thousands feet since the slope of the mountain didn't turn sheer for another four thousand feet, then it was just a matter of following the ridge around and then positioning himself on the east side above the mountain cabin.

Viktor Sidiak had calculated the trip would take about six or seven hours; which gave him plenty of time to set up, laser the range and take out his soft targets in the morning. Then he would fall back and continue around McCaleb toward the aptly named Massacre Mountain deep in the Lost River Range, call in his helicopter pick up and be out of the state by noon. He would leave nothing behind, not even shell casings, only six bloody bodies.

He stepped onto a ledge and decided to check on EVAK with his satellite phone.

"Yes," came the answer.

"Ivan the terrible here, I've located target and am moving in tonight to set up."

"Isn't it snowing?"

"Snow doesn't mean a thing to me. I've seen a lot of snow before."

"All right, what then?"

"I'll be completing the contract in the morning. They are exposed and the snow will keep away any police or officials that want to interfere. I will take the targets and then fall back to scale a foothill between McCaleb and Massacre. You have the map? Here are the coordinates. Your helicopter pilot can navigate to that point?"

"Yes the weather will break in the morning and he will have no problem. It's far enough away from the cabin that he won't run into the FBI or police that will be using a helicopter to get to the cabin; that is assuming they try to do so. Most likely it will be clear skies."

"Ok I will pop smoke and then he comes in to take me out, then it's finished."

"Its finished and the targets are finished."

"Out."

"Out."

CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia:

Colonel Burghardt was saying, "We need to get an FBI HRT unit on alert and ready to move. This will most likely involve a shooting situation and I want our best guys available. Also we need to inform SWAT unit in Idaho for back up. We can get a team on site in Idaho in five hours.

"Not if it's snowing like that," said Whitney as he pointed.

"What?"

"Look at your satellite monitors, there is a major blizzard closed in over all of Idaho."

Lex broke in, "That's right Colonel, when I spoke to Lana Lang she said it was snowing hard and they couldn't move the Jeep Cherokee. They are closed down and stuck at the cabin."

"Ok, its not all bad, if they can't get out it means the Russian can't get in."

"No, it won't shut down Viktor Sidiak," said Whitney. "Not that man. He hunted humans in the mountains of Afghanistan for years."

One of the analysts injected, "But the snow will slow him down, maybe for a day. It is going to snow all night and the storm is supposed to break at dawn. He will be behind at least six hours. We will be able to have an FBI HRT team on site by mid morning."

A call from the other side of the room came from an analysis on the line with authorities in Idaho. "Boise Air Traffic Control confirmed a Luthor Corp Jet landed just before the storm closed the airport. There was one passenger that got off and left the scene. The rest of the crew checked into the airport hotel while the missing passenger just disappeared into the night, just a minute there is more." He talked for less than a minute into the phone and then reported, "They say Route 93 is closed but there is a report of a highway cruiser found after it failed to check in. The cruiser was at the side of Route 93 with both troopers inside killed with head shots. Double homicide."

"Shit!" Colonel Burghardt looked at Whitney, "I guess that confirms that Viktor Sidiak is proceeding to target."

Whitney wasn't the least bit surprised, "That is the way his mind works. He's very thorough, very committed, very gifted and when he has a target he won't stop until either the target or he is dead. I am sorry about the highway troopers. They must have tried to stop him thinking he was a regular citizen to warn him that Route 93 was closed. They probably thought they were doing him a favor and it killed them."

"Sir," said a staff analyst with the grave face of a junior officer carrying the news that no one wanted to hear. "It's about the status of the FBI HRT unit and Idaho SWAT. The blizzard has shut everything down. Nothing is moving there; the roads will be closed until they can be plowed. Nothing is flying either. That area is totally sealed off. There is no way at the moment for a FBI HRT unit or SWAT to get near them."

"Shit! Ok put them on standby but with the Idaho State Police and park rangers already on location so shouldn't they be able to do something?"

"That's just it sir," said the junior analyst. "I was just on with Idaho State Police and they said it will be at least until midmorning before they can get to the cabin. They can't helicopter in until the storm breaks; they can't navigate with snow mobiles at night."

Colonel Burghardt frowned, "Can't they walk in? I mean if Viktor Sidiak can walk in why can't they?"

"Well, sir," answered the analyst, "Due to the blizzard they have a civil emergency on their hands. Idaho State Police are going to have people stuck along the highways in snowdrifts for a hundred miles, accidents, frostbite, telephone wires down messing up communications, hypothermia, the whole cast of a public safety emergency. Maybe you could call the governor and force him to divert some police but I don't know what that would mean politically…."

"It doesn't matter, thanks for the info," Whitney said to the analyst and then he turned to Colonel Burghardt, "Forget that option if Viktor Sidiak runs into police or rangers he is just going to kill them from as far away as they can see. They are not a problem to him. Those Idaho State Police have no idea what they are up against. He can take them out, then take out the cabin, escape and evade for days until EVAK. That is how good he is. This is what his whole life has been about."

"So theoretically how fast could we get FBI HRT or Idaho SWAT in there?" Colonel Burghardt asked the analyst who confirmed the inevitable.

"They are both a no go for stopping the shot, it just can't happen. We can't get anyone on the scene in time to stop him. Man, with the weather this guy really caught some breaks!"

"Well I am not willing to concede Viktor Sidiak his mission. We have been after him for years and here he is operating on American soil and we can't stop him?" Colonial Burghardt turned to Whitney, "How fast can he move and how is he going to set up on site for the shot?"

Whitney's eyes narrowed and the laugh lines turned to crow's feet. "What is needed right now is an extremely good workup on the terrain. Estimate from where the Idaho State Troopers were killed from time of shootings where he would dump his Jeep. Then map out the likely route he would take on foot to cabin. Figure the speed in the mountains a professional mountain guide would make and then double it and you'll know what this guy is doing. He is going to want the sun behind him for the shot so establish from there a time line and directional vector for his approach."

Whitney gestured to the navigation analyst, "Viktor Sidiak will be set up in the east, with the sun behind him. He won't want any chance of the sunlight hitting the telescopic sight lens and reflecting down into the target area. That is where to look for him."

A young analyst threw caution to the wind and spoke up, "I'm just thinking out loud but if we can calculate the snipers likely location what about targeting him with cruise missiles? They are very accurate and you'd have a good chance of…"

"No," another analyst said, "Cruise missiles are low altitude slow movers with out enough size in the wings to give them much maneuverability. They won't get through the blizzard and are a lot better in the nice clear air of a desert. Besides they need to read landforms to navigate and we don't have time to program them for a domestic target. Finally the closest cruise missiles are on a nuclear missile frigate in San Diego. There is no mission sustainability in the time frame."

"Then how about smart bombing him?"

"The infrared could see through the weather but the landforms in the mountains are so dam confusing I don't see how the delivery laser could pinpoint a man in the target area. Again despite the hype smart bombs work a lot better in a flat desert or relatively flat urban areas that in the mountains during a blizzard. I just don't think it's a decent option."

"Sir, with all due respect," said one of the analysts, "I'd like to make a point which I'd be more comfortable making in private since there are people here that know the targets. But the clock is ticking so I have to make it now, so I hope they understand it's not about personalities, it's about responsibilities."

"Go ahead," said Colonial Burghardt, "Speak freely; say what is on your mind."

"Well sir, I have to think that our only option is to concede the Russian his mission objective. We can't stop him so we should be thinking about contingency plans for taking him alive during his escape. He is an incredible intelligence asset. The information he has! The only realistic option is to accept the targets as causalities and take him alive."

Whitney stepped forward and with a calmness that was so intense it was ferocious said, "I understand how you feel that it's impossible to stop Viktor Sidiak but you should know that taking him alive is also not an option. This guy was not built for interrogation or prison. There is no chance of taking Viktor Sidiak alive for intelligence even if you conceded him the success of his mission. He is a professional and would just take the S pill laughing at all of you as he checked out."

Whitney turned around and tried to get his tactical combat mind out of the gate. Why could he come up with a plan in a minute to stop an wall of 9mm in a highway ambush but now his mind was a just a blank? The girls didn't need him at a time like this; they needed a superman instead of just an ordinary quarterback from Smallville.

Well then again he was a small town sports hero that had been to war in outer space. The reality was with his experience of forty years of combat from one end of the galaxy to the other if anyone was going to think of a plan to save Lana and Chloe it had to be him.

Whitney felt like he was going out of his mind. Why hadn't fate put Clark in his position instead of saving worlds on the other side of the galaxy? Clark could have taken out Viktor Sidiak and had the girl's safe in minutes. Why did they have to be so careful with the space speeders so instead of being on standby in the Sol system his space ship was two worm holes and a collapse star jump away from Earth?

As soon as the ideas dried up the room went quiet. Whitney looked at his Rolex submariner watch. It was midnight. Viktor Sidiak was right now working his way through the mountains to get into position to kill everyone in that cabin. Lana cheated death again and again but had time finally run out for the raven haired girl? Whitney could still smell Lana's hair from when he kissed her goodbye so many years ago at the Smallville bus station. This was the end. Viktor Sidiak would take his shot and after so many meteor freaks and criminals trying to kill her finally death would come to Lana Lang in the form of a 175 gram 7mm magnum bullet.

Whitney felt helpless. Even after forty years of fighting from one end of the galaxy to the other there was nothing he could do to stop Viktor Sidiak.

Then it came to him and Whitney smiled and said, "There is one way."

All eyes in the room turned to the old man with the cold blue eyes.

"I'll bet this is good," said Lex Luther.

To be continued as the same chapter Race Against the Russian Part II!


	58. A Call To Arms Part 53b

Part 54b: Race Against the Russian! Part II! Post 1 of 8

"HALO," said Whitney.

"HALO?" answered Colonial Burghardt.

"No way it can be done in these conditions, not in the mountains through a blizzard," said one of the CIA analysts.

"What the hell is HALO?" asked Pete Ross.

"High Altitude, Low Opening."

The young CIA analysts explained, "It's an airborne insertion technique for putting a man down behind enemy lines. The man jumps out at high altitude usually over 35,000 feet on oxygen. He falls really fast the whole way down until in about the last six hundred feet or even less an altitude sensitive trigger automatically deploys the parachute. The point is to fall through radar. The man is falling so fast he doesn't make a signature on radar. Most third world radars can't pick up a falling man. All they see is a plane go over at high altitude and never realize anyone has jumped from it. But it is not going to work here…"

"Why not?" some one asked.

"HALO should only be done over water by SEAL teams or in flat level areas with good weather like in the Middle East. This is not Hollywood. It can't be done in the mountains in a blizzard at night. The altitude sensor that pops the parachute reads the altitude as a preset height above sea level. So if it is set to pop the parachute 500 feet above sea level as long as it's flat and calm weather it will work. If he was jumping into the mountains the altitude sensor might not pop at all before the jumper hits some gigantic vertical chunk of the planet, like a mountain peak. Or with no visibility due to the blizzard even if the altitude sensor worked it could open the parachute next to a rock face and the wind blows him right into it."

The other analyst added his concise conclusion, "Colonial I took the MFF HALO-HAHO parachute course at Marana. The jumper would have no idea what the winds of that blizzard would do. Even without the weather the terrain is impossible. He would probably be killed."

"I didn't say he," said Whitney. "I wouldn't ask another man to do it. But I will do it. It's the only way to get a counter sniper on the ground in the required timeline."

The young analyst looked at the old man with the blond hair lined with white streaks. His body was straight as an arrow and looked strong but the rugged lined face and the cold blue eyes said Vietnam veteran. "Mister I don't know who you are…."

"Just call him Quarterback," injected Colonial Burghardt.

The CIA analyst gave Colonial Burghardt a quick nod and turned back to Whitney Fordman. "Ok Mister Quarterback, the fact is that HALO is not going to work but instead just throw a man's life away. And it can't be your life because a HALO jump is not just stepping out of a plane but an extremely technical skill that requires extensive training."

Whitney tried to answer the young man's doubts, "When I was in the Marines I got jump qualified."

"Mister Quarterback, with all due respect doing the jump course at Benning in the sixties for Vietnam does not make a HALO jumper." Before Whitney could reply the CIA analyst turned to Colonial Burghardt, "Sir HALO is not the answer we have been looking for; even Whitney Fordman couldn't pull this one off."

Pete and Lex barely were able to catch their jaws from dropping through the floor. After hearing his real name come out of no where Whitney decided at this moment discretion was the better part of valor and kept his mouth shut.

"What the hell does that mean?" Colonial Burghardt barked.

"Sir the only time a HALO jump any thing like this has been tried for real was by Whitney Fordman six years ago in Burma…"

"That mission is still classified!"

The young CIA analyst explained, "Sir when I was in the Marines I got sniper qualified at the school out at Quantico. Whitney Fordman's photograph is still on the wall beside Carlos Hichcock, Randy Shughart, Gary Gordon and the rest of them. The instructors still talk about Whitney Fordman from his earlier stuff to his last mission when he disappeared in North Korea after holding off a battalion. I heard on the shooting range about his mission into Burma to take out the Military Junta general that was leading the ethnic cleansing of the Karon villages."

"Fucking sniper grapevine, but how do you know it was Whitney Fordman that carried out the Burma mission?"

"Couple things, we heard the Burmese general was killed in a thousand meter shot by a .338 Lapua Magnum bullet and the only US military sniper that ever used the AWM Lapua Magnum sniper rifle was Whitney Fordman. And second reason was even more obvious, at the time he was the best we had and thus the only choice for a mission like that."

"Ok but that mission was into the tropical jungles of Burma so what is the connection with a blizzard in the mountains?"

"Well Sir, on the Burma mission Whitney Fordman did a HALO jump into the jungle on a night when there was a heavy fog. The altitude sensor that pops the parachute read the altitude vs the jungle floor which wasn't the best since navigation missed the LZ. They dropped Whitney Fordman directly into the rain forest which was covered by the high tree canopy. When the altitude sensor finally popped the chute he was only a few feet over the forest canopy and he was slammed into the top of the trees breaking his ribs all down one side. He survived the impact and then even with the broken ribs he completed the mission."

The CIA analyst turned and pointed at the satellite images on the computer monitors, "Sir, Whitney Fordman barely survived a HALO jump into a rain forest canopy with no wind to deal with so what chance do you think anyone has jumping into mountains through weather like that?"

"Thanks for the opinion," Colonel Burghardt turned to Whitney, "well you heard the analysis Quarterback?"

"Yes I did, most of what he said is right," Whitney smiled, "But I am still going to do it."

Colonel Burghardt sighed, "How come I knew you were going to say that?"

"You owe me for the valley of death, Burghardt"

"Yes, that I do," Colonial Burghardt ran his hand through his tangle of hair. "Ok Quarterback, how do you want to play it out?

"This is the deal. You get me there in a plane over the storm. I'll fall through the blizzard. I can't chute through it but I can cannonball through it and my LZ deviation won't be that bad. The parachute will open way low to minimize wind drift, maybe as low a three hundred feet. From here if you get an Air Force jet and a decent crew you can have me in position in less than six hours. Once I'm on the ground I can use a GPS way point for cabin position. Then I set out overland and get there in time."

"That is assuming you survive the free fall into the mountains and don't get spattered onto the side of a granite cliff," said the young CIA analyst.

But the other one said, "Instead of a smart bomb, we send a smart guy."

"Unbelievable!" said Colonial Burghardt.

The young CIA analyst tried to stop the madness, "Sir and Mister Quarterback, there is not one man in a hundred who could survive a drop through that blizzard into those mountains."

"Kid, I've been there before," said Whitney.

When Colonial Burghardt looked at the face and it might have been that of a sixty five year old man but the cold blue eyes belonged to Whitney Fordman doing a Horticus at the bridge to save them all in North Korea. He made the decision.

"Get Air Force on the horn, get this thing set up."

Whitney had one more thing to say. "I had to leave my AWM Lapua Magnum in my mother's truck at Metropolis airport. I need a rifle. I need a sniper rifle."

Whitney turned and walked over to where Pete Ross and Lex Luthor were and started to talk to them in a low voice.

The CIA analyst that was sniper qualified suddenly remembered something, "Didn't he say the rifle he left at Metropolis Airport was a AWM Lapua Magnum?"

"So what? He couldn't very well bring it on a commercial flight."

"It's just that the only American I have ever heard that used the AWM .338 Lapua Magnum was Whitney Fordman. A Vietnam veteran like this Quarterback guy wouldn't know a rifle like that even existed."

The other CIA analyst suddenly turned and looked across at Whitney who was having a private conversation with Pete and Lex. "Ya, that is kind of strange. Quarterback? Wasn't Whitney Fordman's mission handle 'Quarterback'?"

"Yea, and what did he mean by he is owed for the valley of death?"

The two young CIA analysts turned together and whispered to Colonial Burghardt, "Sir, where did you find this guy?"

Colonial Burghardt gave them a tight smile, "To be honest boys, he found me."

"Isn't it a weird coincidence that he is called the Quarterback and uses an AWM .338 Lapua Magnum, exactly like Whitney Fordman?"

"No matter what physical shape he is in how can he take down Viktor Sidiak? He is volunteering for a mission that only Whitney Fordman would have a chance of staying alive let alone pulling off."

Colonial Burghardt didn't know the real story but still didn't want a wild goose story going any further and jeopardizing the mission. "Boys, don't go there. Look at him. This guy is forty years too old so that means it really is just a coincidence. Now you get Air Force moving and you show me on the monitors how this blizzard is unfolding."

Hours Later in an Air Force C-130 Airplane over Idaho:

The Air Force C-130 was flying at 320 miles an hour at 36,000 feet while the blizzard howled below them. After a quick goodbye to Pete and Lex at Langley a government Lear jet had zoomed Whitney and Colonel Burghardt across America in less than five hours to land at Mountain Home Air Force base. The whole way Colonel Burghardt had been on the radio with various experts and getting the details of their plan worked out. They had landed the Lear jet at Mountain Home and transferred to the C-130 and were back in the air in ten minutes.

The CIA had an equipment pack for Whitney waiting at Mountain Home which he was now going through as they flew into the night. Whitney checked his electronics and other gear which was secured in a jump bag that was tethered to his ankle. He had an arctic pattern camouflaged Gore-Tex parka and leggings. There was a new Motorola radio, a dual mode portable which would keep him in contact with the network in case he got lost and they had to triangulate his position to get him on the correct heading. It was clipped onto his belt and secured to his head by a throat mike, so all he had to do is talk and he was on the CIA net. But there wasn't much of a chance of getting lost since he also carried a portable Garman GPS already with the cabin hideout programmed as the goto waypoint. He also had night vision goggles from Litton with Gen II Plus image intensifier assemblies.

There was a US army standard Beretta 92 automatic pistol in a shoulder holster under his left arm. It had a lot of rounds in the mag, sixteen in total, but it was still a 9mm mouse gun. When he asked if anyone had the traditional Colt 45 automatic he just got blank stares from kids thinking they were talking to a Vietnam era Marine dinosaur and not a warrior from the stars.

But most important they had come up with a rifle. It was taken from the CIA's sterile weapons inventory and was the Marine standard sniper rifle. The rifle was a Remington M40A3 chambered for the old NATO standard caliber .308. It had a fiberglass stock, free floated barrel and a Unertl 10X scope. It came with two boxes of Federal Premium 168 grain MatchKing boattailed hollowpoint bullets.

The rifle was ok. The rifle was standard. The rifle was alright but surviving this sniper duel was going to take more than just alright. Whitney would have traded his soul for the AWM .338 Lapua Magnum that was lying in the back of his mother's pick up trick in the parking lot at Metropolis Airport.

The problem in Whitney's eyes was not the fact that the CIA rifle was the military derivative of the famed Remington 700 but that fact that it was chambered for the .308 cartage. The .308 was adequate for sniper duty in urban areas like Fallujah where the majority of the shooting was under 400 meters but in the mountains you need a cartridge with serious legs. And the .308 didn't have the reach of even the old US army standard .30-06 of WW II. Even the old .30-06 down range with its longer cartridge case and higher powder capacity could deliver more killing energy, particularly beyond 800 yards.

For the hundredth time Whitney wished for his AWM .338 Lapua Magnum. It was a true long range killing weapon. The sniper with it didn't even have to get a conventional kill shot in the torso or head but just hit one of the limbs and the tungsten headed .338 bullets delivered a wave of hydrostatic shock that would do more than just upset all the little gyros in a man's organs and body.

In moments after the shot the shock of losing a limb to a .338 Lapua Magnum would put a man's body down like a train that had run off the tracks and was now rumbling over cobblestones before running off a cliff.

But now going into combat 'woulda, coulda, shoulda' didn't count for anything. The .308 was the only alternative and that was that. Whitney lifted the sniper rifle from its foam lined aluminum case. He saw that the proprietary CIA armoror had taped a message to the butt stock.

"Zeroed at 100 years," and under that, "200 yards: 9 klicks up; 300 yards: 12 klicks up; 400 yards: 35 klicks up; 500 yards: 53 klicks up."

Whitney thought for a second trying to guess the range he would be shooting at. 'Fuck me if I can't take a joke,' he thought as he started clicking 53 times.

It had been forty years since Whitney had been a sniper in combat. Oh of course he trained even out in space and kept in shape but shooting on a range is not combat.

All sniper shooting is based on a few basic principles. Consistency is the most important of these because consistency equals accuracy. Breathing, sight picture, spot weld, trigger pull, body position, platform stability, rifle sight and ammunition the more these elements of shooting are kept consistent the more accurate the sniper will become. Whitney had been working on his consistency of shooting since the boy scouts.

Whitney trained for hours to maintain the consistency of his sight picture. His spot weld, the placement of his cheek against the rifle's stock, was exactly the same whenever he pulled the trigger. That uniformity produced the exact same eye relief, the distance from his eye to the scope's rear lens, every single time he put the rifle to his shoulder.

Consistent eye relief, in turn, resulted in an identical sight picture through the scope. Whitney also kept his stability of follow through locked into his muscles. The follow through mean that between the time when the trigger was pulled and the bullet left the rifle there was no movement of the barrel. Stability of follow through ensured that the sight picture never changed, not even by a feather breath in the roughly quarter second between the trigger pull, the sear release, the firing pin striking the primer and the bullet traveling down the barrel.

Then there was angle compensation which always was an issue when fighting in mountains rather than flat terrain. It is easiest to shoot straight across a flat plain, for example on a shooting range. The flatter the terrain, the flatter than angle and thus the less the sniper has to compensate for uphill or downhill trajectory, which has to be figured differently from bullet drop, crosswind or temperature and humidity fluctuations.

For example, at an uphill angle of 45 degrees if the sniper put the scopes crosshairs dead center on the target and pulled the trigger the shot will miss the mark by going high by about eight inches. Shooting at a downward angle also required adjustment.

Whitney had practiced rifle shooting over the years but it had been always with his faithful AWM .338 Lapua Magnum chambered with a cartridge that's so powerful, accurate and long ranged that it puts this .308 standard to shame. But most important out in space he had not been a sniper in combat using chemical slug throwers called rifles for decades.

Assuming he made it to the ground alive there would be more than just shooting required if he was going to stop Viktor Sidiak. He would be moving to the cabin against an enemy who would already be set up and in position. If Viktor Sidiak from his sniper hide spotted him moving into the valley he would be dead.

Whitney brought his mind back to the lessons learned decades ago at the US marine sniper school. At night, the best way to keep from being seen was by following the Quadruple S Rule, the four being silhouette, shine, shape and speed.

Don't silhouette yourself against the horizon; don't allow any light to shine off you or your equipment; don't allow the shape of your equipment give you away because there are virtually no naturally straight or square shapes in nature; and don't move in the open so fast that your enemy's peripheral vision will pick you up.

The last the Quadruple S rules was the most important and the least understood. The way humans see an object at night is different from the way they do during the day. In daylight, light comes into the eye directly, moving from the lens back to the cone cells in the center of the retina. However at night it is the human's peripheral vision that dominates, because instead of hitting the cone cells of the retina, light is picked up by its rod cells, which are grouped around the periphery of the cones.

That is why on night patrol the consummate soldier with his eyes always scans in figure eights as opposed to a straight on left/right approach. At night by always looking off center you are much more likely to catch a piece of something than you are by staring straight at it. A quick or jerky motion there fore is much more likely to be observed at night because it 'reads' more distinctly in a man's peripheral vision.

Whitney knew Viktor Sidiak would already be set up in position to kill the occupants of the cabin when they showed themselves. While he would be traveling overland as fast as possible to try to intercept.

Thus the chances of Viktor Sidiak seeing him coming into the valley were very high. In sniper duels the first to see is the first to kill. Whitney had to get his war face on.

Colonel Burghardt came back from the cockpit after talking with the pilots. "We are getting close with altitude at 36,000 feet we have the navigation computers pinpointing a drop point that should put you on the flat far away from any cliffs or peaks that will screw up the HALO opening. By screw up Burghardt meant crashing into at a hundred and twenty miles an hour of terminal free fall velocity. The calculated LZ is just northwest of the Mackay Reservoir, a little more than a mile from the location of the cabin. If your jump carries you further you'll go into the Lost River Mountains and that is not good."

Burghardt tried to sound casual like it was all a walk in the park but they both knew the young CIA analyst was right in his assessment of jump survivability. "Your chute will deploy at 400 feet and then after landing you will need to get across the flatlands under the cover of dark to get to the cabin, warn the targets and if you have to engage him..."

"If I get the shot, I'll take it."

"I know Quarterback but he will be set up and you might have a chance as a sitting duck but not out in the open as a walking duck. Get to the cabin and settle into defensive mode rather than trying to hunt him. He will have to close into the cabin to complete his mission. Just get there and hold him off. As soon after daylight it's flyable I've got a squad of Special Forces choppering in from Mountain Home Air Force base. They will set up a defensive perimeter along with some park rangers and Idaho State police. By mid morning they will be in place to go into the mountains after this guy. If you get the shot take it but Quarterback if we can keep the targets alive and take this guy alive we'd have…"

"Forget it Burghardt," Whitney said. "Like I said before, he is a professional. He won't be taken alive but will just kill a lot of good men that didn't need to die for nothing before swallowing the barrel of his gun or crunching on the S pill."

Whitney stood up and started to put on his HALO parachute. It was going to be a dicey jump. Even more so than his jump into the mist covered rain forest canopy of Burma all those years ago. The computers could read the wind, compute his weight, the physics of his acceleration to terminal velocity, add in the C-130's airspeed and out pops a point to which to navigate the plane to and then tell him to go. But the jump into the unforgiving terrain wouldn't be in a computer but in the real world.

Unpredictable and unknowable, a gust of wind in the blizzard, some unaccounted for imperfection and he would be off course and falling into the mountains with every chance of hitting some vertical chunk of rock before the chute deployed.

The back of the C-130 was dark with just a few red safety lamps lit along with the subtle roar of the big engines chewing through the air outside the fuselage. To Whitney it felt very World War II, very we-jump-tonight in a melodramatic British war movie.

'Here I go again,' Whitney thought. 'Here I go with a sniper rifle to hunt a man in the mountains. Been here before."

"Excuse me Sir."

Whitney turned and saw a young Air Force tech Sergeant that looked about fifteen years old.

"Yes?"

"Here is your helmet sir with the oxygen hook up." The kid held out an Air Force pilot looking helmet with a plastic face shield, oxygen mask and a small green tank. He clicked the tank onto Whitney's belt.

It was nearly time. The rear ramp door of the C-130 Hercules opened with a shriek of frigid wind. It settled and locked in downward position and outside the dark sky swirled by. Both Colonel Burghardt and the young airman were hooked up to guy wires to keep from being sucked out. With the ramp down at 36,000 feet there was no oxygen so of course they were all on bottled oxygen.

"Quarterback, you ok?" said Burghardt over the radio. "You just cannonball through when you step out. You fall and fall and then the altitude sensor opens the chute automatically. You can stabilize with the risers on each side. Jesus I don't need to tell you that stuff. I guess I am just nervous Quarterback."

Colonel Burghardt didn't see it behind the oxygen mask but Whitney smiled at him and said into his microphone, "Aren't you going to wish me luck?"

Now Colonel Burghardt wasn't smiling, "I would Whitney but I just don't think luck is going to do it this time."

It was a second before Whitney realized that Colonel Burghardt had for the first time called him Whitney instead of Quarterback. A second later the young tech Sergeant said, "Ok, ten seconds."

Whitney moved out onto the ramp. There was no sense of anything but the cold buffeting of the wind and just blackness beyond the end of the ramp.

"Go!" yelled the young tech Sergeant and Whitney stepped forward and off the ramp into a cold howling abyss.

Whitney was flying through the darkness as he heard the sound of the plane appear to fall up and away. There was a huge amount of noise in his ears from the surrounding air rushing past his helmet. He was traveling far faster than the free fall terminal velocity which is the maximum constant miles per hour falling speed due to gravity vs air resistance for a falling object. In this case the falling object was a human body. He was traveling so fast initially since when he left the C-130 it had only slowed down to 200 miles per hour from its initial speed of 320 miles per hour.

He still had the touch and even with the blizzard swirling around him he hadn't gone tumbling head over heels or worst yet gone into a flat spin.

The fact was that Whitney didn't want to go into a conventional sky diver position where terminal velocity would come at approximately 120 miles per hour. He wanted to fall as compact as possible but still be in control. That meant in a dive where his terminal free fall velocity would be a lot higher and he would be targeting straight down to minimize his drift away from the flat landing zone.

He could hear the beep of the altitude sensor speed up and he knew the ground was closing in fast. Whitney started to maneuver his body out of the downward dive to go to a more conventional sky diver position in order to slow his terminal velocity down to 120 miles per hour. If he didn't the chute opening might break his back or worse still tear apart and then let gravity smash him into the earth. So simultaneously he extended his left arm over his head and drew his legs up further, in order to keep from toppling back into a head down position or barrel rolling to the right. At the same time he extended his right hand back to place it on the side of his chute so he could feel the injection of the pilot chute when the altitude sensor kicked it out.

Moments later the altitude sensor said 400 feet to go and the pilot chute bridle flaps flew open and extracted the deployment bag from the main container, which in turn pulled the suspension lives from their retainer bands. When the suspension lines were fully extended they pulled the main chute from the deployment bag, the sail slider was driven up ward toward the riser and almost instantaneously the big Ram Air cells on the main parachute were inflated.

The effect on Whitney was sudden as his downward speed went from terminal free fall velocity of 120 miles per hour to 18 miles per hour in a few seconds. The G force was incredible; it was like being dropped through the trapdoor of a gallows.

The familiar feeling of the parachute mutating on his back and the slam of G forces as the huge Ram Air cells inflated were familiar and strangely reassuring to Whitney. What he wasn't ready for was the same thing he hadn't been ready for all those years ago when he jumped into the rainforest canopy of the Burmese jungle. The feeling was the snag of one of the Ram Air cells and then his body being pendulumed through the darkness to slam into a wall of granite. It was a bad way to say hello to a mountain.

Whitney tried to roll but ended up tumbling down the wall of rock like a rag doll until he hit a slim icy ledge. There was just time for a breath before the Ram Air cells inflated to drag him off the ledge. Then seconds later just after slamming into the side of a mountain he whacked into the ground and as his legs gave way he rolled to the side and again hit rock and felt the Plexiglas in his face visor shatter into his face.

Whitney's head filled with stars, concussion and confusion as his body was pulled along the ground by the still open parachute. His arm was numb and the equipment bag banged over the rocks as he slid along the ground pulled by the twisting parachute. It felt like the equipment bag wanted to rack his leg longer by a couple extra inches.

Whitney clawed at the parachute release. He knew if he didn't cut away from the parachute it would pull him to his death. After surviving hitting the side of a mountain he had no intention of being dragged to death. Then he found the release and the parachute dumped him as if he were unwanted garbage depositing him in a snow drift as it took off in the wind on its merry way in the darkness.

Well that was a fucking ride, almost as good as those cheetah fast dinosaurs they used as mounts when hunting on the Kzin home world. Whitney blinked the blood out feeling bits of Plexiglas flick out of his left eye. He pulled off the helmet and tossed it away. A moment later the white ski mask cap was out of his pocket and onto his head. He pulled the equipment bag over and felt inside until he found the case for the night vision goggles. Whitney fiddled for the switch and put them on and looked around.

'Shit," he immediately thought. This is was not flat but a large ledge on a pretty extreme slope. There was no valley with a cabin ahead of him because quite simply there was no ahead. He was high up with only down. Whitney was lost in the mountains.

Next he dug out the Garman GPS to get a direction to the cabin waypoint but all he could read on the display screen in green digitized gibberish was 'In a HALO parachute jump I hit the side of a mountain too hard'. Then the dead silence, not even static was the radio's way of giving him the same message. He tossed them both in the same snow drift as the helmet with the shattered Plexiglas visor.

Now he checked the rifle. It seemed ok but the impact might have knocked the telescopic sight out of zero. There was no way to test it so there was nothing to do but hope it stayed tight.

Whitney looked around again and now saw out in one direction an endless sea of snow capped mountains. Beyond the mountains at the horizon he could see the faintest smear of light. That meant it was east. He appeared to be on the highest mountain. The C-130 was flying on a northwest-southeast direction with the intention of putting him on the flats between the mountains and the valley with the cabin. They must have over shot the mark which meant the deviation was longitudinal not latitudinal. This meant he was on Mount McCaleb, most likely on its northwest slope. Down about six thousand feet below him would be where the hideout cabin was along with a waiting Russian sniper.

Whitney couldn't see the valley due to the strata of clouds and mist below. He could only see mountain peaks on the other side across a gap that he knew must be the valley. He slung the rifle over his shoulder, checked his compass because a pro never relies only on a GPS and then he pulled the night vision goggles over his eyes. Whitney might have been biologically sixty five years old but he had been put back together a lot better than Humpty Dumpty by Turlog and Hivistahm doctors.

Whitney knew he would be racing the rays of dawn down the side of a mountain. He tightened the strap on his night vision goggles and set off down the slope at a speed that would have won metals in the Olympics.

In the Valley of the Assassin:

Viktor Sidiak stood on a ridge about five hundred yards from the cabin which was still dark and hardly visible through the whirling snow but it was there in the middle of a drifted field of white at the bottom of the valley. A wisp of smoke, evidence of a dying fire, rose from the chimney as evidence that the cabin held human beings or soft targets depending on one's point of view.

The Russian sniper looked at his Omega watch. It was just before six and the dawn would start to break in few minutes. The blizzard was blowing out and it would be calm in less than a half hour. It was probably be light enough to shoot in forty five minutes.

But why wait? Why kill them from 500 meters? Go down and kick the door in and go in with your Glock 19 pistol. It would be easy to kill all of them while they are still rubbing the sleep from their eyes. Then it's all over and finished, you pull back to the LZ, pop smoke and wait for the helicopter. You are out of Idaho before lunch. Just go down and kill them.

Sidiak looked at his watch again. He could finish the mission right now. But then what if they were armed? What if Intergang hadn't been able to cut the telephone land line for the cabin? What if they had been warned and were waiting for him? What if they were armed with handguns and set up to take down anyone that comes through the door?

Sidiak knew there was a dead Intergang hit man lying on a slab in the Metropolis morgue that underestimated Lana Lang so why take the risk?

"Nyet," Viktor Sidiak answered himself in Russian.

He would not go down because he just couldn't. He knew himself. He knew he was Tselini, which is a very Russian term for a certain kind of personality, his personality. A personality that is bold and aggressive and fearless of pain. But it is in some way a one piece personality which is seamless: it has no other parts or flexibility, no other textures. He was committed to a certain plan and he could not change now in the middle of a mission. It was impossible to change now so keep to the original plan.

Instead he moved along until the ridge flattened out and set up beside a rock and with a gully behind him. The rock would keep him out of the gusting wind of a now dying blizzard. The gully cut across the ridge and then behind it. If there was trouble he could slip into it and remain hidden from across the valley. When setting up for a kill always have a back door. Viktor Sidiak could see onto the front porch of the cabin yet was still far enough to the east that the rising sun would be behind him, and would not hit the lens of his telescopic sight and flash a warning towards the cabin.

Viktor Sidiak set up and took out his Leica ranging binoculars and bounced a laser shot off the cabin to read the range. It was 560 meters. A shot from a 7mm Remington Magnum at a velocity of 3010 feet per second and a 175 Sierra Spitzer boattail bullet developing muzzle energy of over two thousand foot pounds would drop about 45 inches at that range. A fantastic load velocity combination which was untouchable by any .308 in the world.

Even so he knew that to compensate he'd still have to hold high when aiming, that is not to aim with the actual center cross hairs in the scope but with the second mil-dot just beneath in the reticle. A mil-dot was one of a series of dots etched into the cross hairs of the scope used to adjust for range drop, movement, wind and distance estimation.

A single mil-dot would put him dead on though he might have to correct laterally for windage. But that shouldn't be a problem since the blizzard was now closing down and after a blizzard the wind is usually spent and gone.

Viktor visualized the shot. See the Witness standing on the porch looking at her children play in the snow. See the second mil-dot covering her chest, how it is holding rock steady on her. It is perfectly covering her; the shooting platform is his body. He would splay his foot sideways, to tighten his muscles up through his body. It was adductor magnus style. The core of the shooting system developed by the famous Russian coach Lozgachey which when it was used by the Russian sharp shooters at the Olympics they simply ran the field and walked away with the metals.

Viktor Sidiak checked his rifle. The cold can sometimes be unfriendly to sniper rifles. Lubrication can solidify in the cold and turn to gum destroying the consistency of the trigger pull. The gun powder gases don't burn as hot so the bullet flies to a new point of impact which can be unpredictable. The telescopic sight stiffens and comes out of zero. The sniper's breath could fog it and obstructing his vision. Better check it out because there are a hundred reasons a good shot could go bad.

He opened the bolt action of the Remington 700 and slid it backwards. It was smooth yet tight, no lubricating oil had gummed in any way. He pushed it back forward and then downward feeling the bolt lock into place. His finger threaded instinctively through the trigger guard feeling the curvature of the trigger. His trigger finger squeezed slightly feeling a dry twig of resistance for an instant before the trigger broke, releasing the firing pin, with the precision of an expensive china tea cup handle snapping off. It felt perfect. Four and a half pounds, not an ounce more or an ounce less. Finally he checked the Browning Optimizing System that was screwed into the end of the barrel in a precise setting to control barrel vibration. The setting was perfect and tight.

Viktor Sidiak reached under his parka to where he had twenty rounds of hand loaded 7mm Magnum ammo in a plastic case in a pocket over his heart where they would remain warm. He removed four and opened the bolt and slid in the cartridges one by one into the magazine. The last round fit to chamber and then he closed the bolt locking it for the kill as solid as closing the door to a bank vault.

No safety. Never used a safety. He didn't believe in them. Using a safety meant you didn't trust yourself. You just kept your finger off the trigger until you were locked on the soft target. That is how it worked. That is how to kill.

He was ready but the soft targets were still flirting with the sandman in their dreams. What would bring them out to be killed? Why wouldn't they stay in there, cozy and warm, drinking cocoa? What would bring them out?

Would he have to sneak down and set fire to the back of the cabin and force them out?

No! Viktor Sidiak knew the little girls would bring them out since no child could resist after being cooped up in a cabin a new snow fall. The fresh snow was just waiting for a sled ride or making snow angels. The little girls would come out and bring the mother and the two other women after them. Of course if the little girls came out without the women he could just shoot to wound one of the girls and the women would come running out of the cabin to see what was the cause of the screams of the little girls as they died of shock or bled out in the fresh virgin snow.

Maybe ordinary women would freeze and be too scared to try to save the girls but not a mother. And also not Lana Lang wouldn't freeze after all she had just killed an Intergang hit man on the street with a metal telescoping baton. The Daily Planet reporter also had a reputation for physical courage which came from her fearless hard hitting reporting in the face of death from Intergang. No if the little girls came out to play in the snow their screams would bring out the women to suffer the same fate.

Viktor Sidiak smiled, in a world of soft targets these women and children would be the softest of all.

On the Slopes of Mount McCaleb:

Whitney was moving as only a human who has been trained by the feline species Kzin can travel down the side of a mountain at night.

The snow lay on the ground and rock, sometimes thick and deep, at other times bare rock poked through to the surface. He was moving so fast that twice he tripped on rocks unseen under the smooth white crust but his Kzin trained reflexes saved him from a hard fall.

It was still snowing but the fierce wind had died. Whitney moved downhill at almost a gallop feeling his boots bit into the snow, trying to find a rhythm, a balance between speed and keeping upright. He was breathing hard and inside the parka was beginning to sweat. He came onto a rock outcropping and quickly detoured around it.

Then he ran into the pea soup fog covering the lower slopes of Mount McCaleb and the higher parts of the valley. The night vision goggles turned the cloudy mass of the fog into floating green only partially distinct from the green of the snow on the ground. They were worthless now and the goggles engaged only produced green blankness.

Throw them away, Whitney thought. Dump them, they are useless. But instead a warrior's instinct told him to just push them back on his head but don't throw them into a snow drift. What if he came out of the fog and then needed the night vision goggles to negotiate rocks or something?

Instead he leapt forward quickly moving from side to side to avoid any obstacles. He thought of a dark day of fog and wet long ago and light years away. It was the day the Crows rescued the Lost Battalion of the Massood in the Valley of Tamarrion. The same day he met Aisha, orphan girl and waif of war but now a fleet hero, for the first time.

That day in the Valley of Tamarrion he'd been so electric, so tiger, so Kzin, his reflexes were alive and then as now in a secret way Whitney realized he loved his life.

He had loved it every day since Clark, Puss'n'Boot and Chuut Ritt had rescued him from the torture chambers of that Gulag in North Korea.

Whitney tried to keep up speed but now the ground was rockier and he couldn't see far enough to choose the right path through the descending gullies which were little more than twisty snow clogged passages between boulders.

Whitney raced downward, coming to a clear spot and thought for a moment he might be out of it but in the next second he saw it was just an illusion.

Whitney Fordman, small town spots hero turned warrior in the stars continued to race the coming light of dawn down the slope of a mountain.

In the Cabin in the Valley of the Assassin:

She could smell raspberries and they tickled her nose. How could there be such a thing as ticklish raspberries? She slowly opened her eyes and from the dying embers of the fire there was just enough light to recognize the black strands of Lana Lang's hair that were falling across her face and tickling her nose.

Aunt Lana always used raspberry flavored organic shampoo. When they asked Aunt Lana why her shampoo was always raspberry scented a brief shadow of sadness crossed her face. In answer Lana Lang didn't meet their eyes but told the girls she just liked the smell and taste of raspberries.

The two little girls had spent the night sharing a sleeping bag in basement level of the cabin. After all only Lex Luthor would have an isolated hunting cabin built with a full basement. The little girls had their mother sleeping on one side softly snoring in a very feminine way and Lana and Chloe on the other side.

The little girls had spent the previous evening drinking hot chocolate and eating soup while watching a DVD completely oblivious to the danger waiting outside in the cold light of morning.

The little girl woke her sister and held a finger to her lips signaling for her to keep quiet. They just giggled for a second and slipped out of the sleeping bag. The fire was sleeping and the room was a little chilly. The grownups would stay sleeping with some warmth in the air. The little girls together were able to quietly lay a fresh quarter log on the glowing embers and in a few seconds a lick of flame started to kiss the dry wood.

The fire will keep the grownups warm, sleepy and snug in their dreams. Together they snuck up the stairs that ran from the center of the basement straight up to the front door on the first floor. The stairs were open so they would have to be quiet as they pulled on their snow suits and boots. The girls went to the front door and cracked it open a few inches.

Over five hundred meters away looking down a Leupold 10X scope and Russian sniper smiled as he saw the lick of light appear around the front door of the cabin. He was right. The children just couldn't leave the freshly fallen snow alone.

A wintry blast whistled into the cabin. It was still snowing but not nearly as hard. The world outside was lost in snow. Its natural shapes were blurred and softened. The wind of the blizzard had put the snow every where. On the fences, drifting over them; in strange new little bumps that had been bushes. There was at least two feet of it on the flat part at the front of the roof of the barn. The little girls had never seen so much snow in their lives.

They both had seen the sled in the barn. It was a red 1930s all American classic with steel runners that most likely had the name rosebud painted on it.

The little girls knew where to go to try out such a splendid sled. Off to the left of the cabin, not too far away, only a couple hundred feet there was a slope. Not to high or steep for two little girls to climb but just enough to get up some good momentum.

Lana Lang's raspberry scented hair tickled her nose when she woke up and now the falling snowflakes played with that same nose. The older girl giggled and whispered to her sister they had to be quiet as they pulled on their warm clothes. It would be dawn before long and a wonderful winter wonderland waited for them.

What they didn't know was in the white land of wonder a killer watched with the patience of a predator.

A few minutes later the little girls stepped out onto the porch of the cabin. They had on their snow suits, boots and warm mittens.

Viktor Sidiak watched the two children through his night vision goggles. They looked like two far off green blobs standing in a field of green at the bottom of an aquarium filled with snow. Like they were part of a world of electronically amplified ambient green light. Jst as he had thought, excited by the temptation of snow the little girls had come out to play. They would bring out the women and then he would complete the contract.

Viktor Sidiak pushed the night vision goggles up onto his forehead and took out the Leica range finding binoculars. He put a ranging dot on one of the children and pressed the button sending an invisible spurt of laser light out to bounce off her and come back to him. Five hundred and fifty seven meters it said on the display that appeared superimposed over the image of the little girl on the porch.

Viktor Sidiak thought for a second doing the math in his head. He used the Trachtenberg speed system of mental mathematics to do in his head the calculations of bullet drift and drop. The Trachtenberg system was a speed system of mental mathematics developed by a Russian engineer named Jakow Trachtenberg who was a genius but unfortunately for him, a Jewish genius.

He was sent to the concentration camps in World War II and to keep his sanity in that living hell developed his mental system of speed mathematics. Today many years after the death of the Jewish pacifist engineer Trachtenberg a Russian assassin used the same system of mental mathematics that kept the Jew's sanity in the Nazi death camps to quickly calculate how to kill two children and three women in a lonely valley in the Lost River Range of the Rocky Mountains.

In a few moments Viktor Sidiak had the answer and he lifted the rifle to place the mil-dot beneath the telescopic sight cross hairs on the little girl's chest. He was not aiming to kill or even to shoot. He didn't want to shoot the girls until her was sure their screams bring the women out of the cabin and off the porch. He wanted all them to be drawn away from the cabin and in the open as easy targets. But he went through the motions sighting the little girls to familiarize himself with the sensations.

Viktor Sidiak put the dot on the little girl's chest. His muscles locked and he held the dot there with a professional sniper's discipline. No wobble, no tremble, nothing that said there was any fear or doubt in the finger of a man ready to kill children. His finger touched the trigger. If he decided at that moment all it would take is four and a half pound of pressure and the little girl would be nothing but a memory.

Viktor Sidiak smiled and put down the Remington 700 rifle. It was only a matter of time before the girls were dressed and away from the cabin sledding.

The women inside the house would wake up and realize the little girls were gone. They would come outside to call the girls in for breakfast. He would kill the first women that appeared. Then he would shoot to wound the little girls. To just wound would be tricky since the shock of being hit by 1,800 foot pounds of energy from a 7mm Remington magnum boattailed hollow point bullet would kill most children in seconds so he needed to be very careful. What he wanted to do is be sure the children lived long enough that their screams would bring the other women out into the open.

The children disappeared off the porch to go back inside and get suited up for a morning of playing in the snow. Viktor Sidiak knew in a few minutes they would be back and in a few minutes after that the women inside would awaken.

Clearly now, it was just a matter of time.

Lana Lang reached out in her dream for the child sleeping beside her but felt empty air. A second later her eyes were open and the she pushed her self up and looked around the cabin's basement den. The sleeping bag beside her that had been filled with two little girls was empty. There was something else wrong. The fire should be nothing but glowing embers but there was a fresh log burning brightly in the fire place.

The girls must have got up and put the fresh log on the fire. Lana smiled when she thought of the girls getting up early to try to make them breakfast. Lana always wanted to be a mother and she had to admit this time at the cabin with the little girls really made her realize how much of a sacrifice it was to be unable to have her own family.

The warm dream of raising her own family faded away as Lana's instinct for trouble kicked in. She was quiet and tried to listen for sounds of movement upstairs in the kitchen. There was nothing but silence.

With the coming dawn outside came the realization that inside the cabin there was dead silence.

"Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

It came from outside. In a moment Lana was on her feet shouting at the girl's mother and Chloe that the girls were outside. Lana was already running up the stairs to the ground floor before Chloe and the Witness were out of their sleeping bags. They were still struggling to their feet when they heard Lana throw herself at the front door, pull it open and then the bang as the automatic door closer pulled it shut.

Snow! In the grey light of the dawn the snow to the little girls was like a giant mound of softness. They thought of ice cream, vanilla, in big white piles everywhere. The first sled run had been so much fun and left them both giggling in delight.

From the front porch Metropolis crusading prosecutor and former member of the Smallville Crows cross country team didn't see a winter wonderland but only danger behind every tree, every snow drift as far as her huge round doe eyes could see.

There they were; the two little girls were half way up the slope pulling the sled behind them for their second run of the morning. Lana screamed at them and they turned to smile and wave. Lana didn't hesitate but sprinted off the porch into the snow. Her body was red lining on adrenaline and she ignored the messages of coldness and crystal texture her bare feet were sending her as she ran through the snow toward the girls.

The first instinct of the girls was to ignore Lana and keep pulling the sled to the top for another sled run before they were dragged by the spoil sport grown ups back into the cabin for breakfast. However the sight of Lana Lang sprinting toward them in snow up to her knees, barefoot wearing nothing but a black thong and a Smallville Crows t-shirt froze them in place.

Moments earlier:

Viktor Sidiak had ignored the children after they got the sled out of the barn and started to climb the small slope nearest to the cabin. He could kill them at his leisure. Their only tactical use was to draw the women out of the cabin and on to the porch. He would kill the first woman that appeared and then shoot to wound one of the children. Their screams would bring the other women into the open to be killed as they tried to rescue the dying girls.

Instead of watching children play in the snow Viktor Sidiak was doing visualization exercises, a helpful exercise for shooters. See the woman, any of the women. See her standing on the porch. See the second mil-dot covering her chest, how rock hard steady it is, how dead on is the range, how solid is the sniper's body as the shooting platform.

Feel the trigger with the tip of the index finger but don't think about it. Don't think about anything. Breathing has stopped, the body is willed into near death stillness. The sniper puts his whole being into that mil-dot on her chest, the sniper doesn't even feel the rifle recoil.

The bullet will reach her before the sound of it. It will hit her in the chest, a massive totally destructive shot still carrying at 560 meters of flight 1800 foot pounds of energy. The shot explodes her heart and lungs, breaks her spine and shorts out her nervous system.

Viktor Sidiak set down the Remington 700 rifle and picked up his Leica range finding binoculars but continued the visualization exercise. Finish off the other two women, if need be if they haven't bleed out kill the wounded children. Then there are no witnesses. Fall back about four miles and call in the helicopter on the secure satellite phone. Pop smoke and the helicopter will be at the LZ for evacuation in twenty minutes. No police or civil authority will reach this place until mid morning at the earliest. In fact, considering the amount of snow Idaho got last night it will more likely take the police until mid afternoon.

The visualization exercise was going fine until the door to the cabin slammed open and the most beautiful women ever seen through the Russian's Leica binoculars ran onto the porch. She yelled at the girls and then to Viktor Sidiak's surprise didn't even slow down but jumped off the porch into the snow and sprinted through the white drifts toward the girls.

Viktor Sidiak cursed under his breath. They must have made him. How could they know he was here? Intergang technical support cut the telephone line. Intergang said the women wouldn't be using cellular phones that could be triangulated. How did they know he was here?

A second later Viktor Sidiak was admiring Lana Lang's running form. All she was wearing was a t-shirt with a black bird on it and a thong. It felt like a sacrilege to men every where to kill such a beautiful woman, especially one with raw courage to go with the killer legs, slim ankles and tiny feet sinking onto the snow as she ran. But beautiful or not business was business.

Viktor Sidiak set down the Leica binoculars and picked up his Remington 700 rifle. The Russian sniper squirmed a little making minute corrections before locking his body into an adductor magnus shooting platform. He didn't rush. What was the point of rushing?

The woman had courage. She was still in a full sprint with her breath heaving in and out as she fought off oxygen debt in the knee high snow. Now for the Russian sniper there was nothing in the world to think about but killing a beautiful half naked woman running through the snow.

Five hundred and forty meters away since the porch where she had blasted out of the starting blocks was five hundred and sixty meters from his shooting hide.

Hold two dots below the reticle, that is in shooting talk, two dots high to account for the bullet's drop over the long flight and the subtle effects of gravity over the downward trajectory.

Concentrate. It's just another soft target running through the snow in a world of soft targets.

Viktor Sidiak the master sniper expelled half a breath and held the rest in his lungs. His body was a monument in granite, adductor magnus tight. The mil-dots didn't move: they were on her like death itself. His mind emptied and only the trigger stood between Lana Lang and death. The trigger was four and a half pounds and four pounds were already gone.

A few minutes earlier on Mount McCaleb:

"Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

It sounded so far away, light, just a small thing. Maybe it was a freak twist of the wind that brought it to him but he knew it was a child. And for a change a human child.

It came from the left. In that direction Whitney could see nothing but rough ground. Still he ran with nerves and muscles built into the frailty of his human body by the best doctors in the galaxy.

Over the jagged rocks at a dead run Whitney unslung the rifle and with a swift tossing of the bolt jacked one of Federals primo .308 cartridges into the spout. He dashed through the rocks building momentum with his legs fighting the snow and rocks. The run ate at his heart and lungs as his breath came in dry spurts wrapped in a sheath of pain.

He ran until he came out of the rocks and the slope dropped off close to vertical and he had to skid to a stop to keep from falling. At the same time he came out of it. The day lightened as the fog disappeared and before him stretched a valley filled with snow like a vast bowl off of color vanilla ice cream. He saw the smoke of a fire rising out of a magnificent hunting cabin that only Lex Luthor would own in such isolation. There was a corral in front of the barn that only had the tips of the posts visible in the deep drifts of snow.

Whitney saw he was on a ridge to the far side of the horseshoe of elevation that surrounded the valley on three sides.

His 20/10 eyes picked out the movement in front of the cabin at once. It was almost fifty years ago at the Smallville bus station he last saw her but he knew it was Lana Lang at a glance. She was sprinting through the snow toward a small slope where the children stood whose excited whoops had guided him to the valley.

In a moment he realized how the scene was so very wrong. Lex Luthor told them to lock down the cabin and stay inside away from the windows. Now Lana was outside running in the snow to two little girls. She knew they were targets. She was running for their lives.

Whitney turned and fell to the ground finding prone, trying to slow the pounding of his heart.

Where is the Russian? Find the sniper.

Whitney scanned the ridge on the other side of the valley that curved away from him, knowing the Russian sniper would set up to the east to keep the sun to his back. Whitney's scope was a Unertl 10X which was a problem since it didn't give much width of vision. Whitney swore at him self for not asking for binoculars.

Then he saw the Russian sniper.

Not exactly the man but the rifle barrel, black against the white snow. The Russian was on the lee side of a boulder sheltered from both the wind and a direct shot. The Russian's rifle barrel was still and braced on one hand in a steady perfect prone.

Whitney knew Viktor Sidiak was making his last second corrections, bringing his concentration to the highest point to deliver a shot that would ensure the death of a beautiful brave woman running barefoot through the snow to save two children.

It was a long shot, such a very long shot. For the hundredth time that night Whitney wished for his AWM .338 Lapua Magnum lying in the back of his mother's truck at Metropolis Airport. He steadied himself for he knew the Russian was ready to fire.

It was close to a thousand meters and Whitney was holding a rifle he had never fired. A rifle he never zeroed. A rifle for which he didn't even know the lock time which was the time between the trigger pull and the actual firing.

But only a second remained and his crosshairs found the Russian's rifle barrel and then rose above it based on his instinctive guesstimate of the range.

'Go Crows,' thought Whitney Fordman as he squeezed the trigger.

To be Continued as Part 55: Sniper Duel in the Valley of the Assassin!


	59. A Call To Arms Part 54

Part 55: Sniper Duel in the Valley of the Assassin!

But only a second remained and his crosshairs found the Russian's rifle barrel and then rose above it based on his instinctive guesstimate of the range.

'Go Crows,' thought Whitney Fordman as he squeezed the trigger.

Snow showered across Viktor Sidiak just as he squeezed the trigger of his 7mm Remington Magnum causing a slight flinch which due to lock time pulled his shot wide and in front of the running woman. The Russian sniper was in an instant pulled out of the deep pool of concentration to recognize the familiar cloud of debris a rifle bullet delivers when it strikes the ground. A moment later the whipsong of a high velocity rifle crack reached the Russian's ears as it shattered the sound barrier.

He was under fire. Someone just shot at him. It came from the left.

Lana Lang was in a full sprint when suddenly the snow in front of her kicked up into her face. Her brain was confused but a split second later she realized it was the impact of a bullet. Her conclusion was confirmed by a sharp supersonic crack that trailed in the wake of an echo as it bounced off the mountains surrounding the valley.

"Girls! Get in here, now!" Lana screamed. Even as she yelled Lana's mind was trying to connect the dots. The snow in her face said some one was shooting at her but the echo of the rifle crack bouncing around the valley was mixed up. The supersonic crack of the rifle shot was layered. It wasn't a single. There was a second shot a nanosecond behind the first.

The little girls turned and paused in confusion but then some primitive survival instinct kicked in and the little girls dropped the rope to the sled and bolted toward Lana. Then as the girls and Lana ran toward each other there was another shot like the snap of a whip.

Lana knew she couldn't carry both girls but reached for them. "Give me your hands," she yelled as she snatched their hands out of the air and spinning around she turned so the trio could dash back along her trail of broken show toward Lex's cabin.

Chloe and the girl's mother appeared on the porch frantically looking for Lana and the girls. Chloe reacted first and pushed the protesting mother back through the front door of Lex's cabin. Chloe barked at her to stay behind the door and get ready to slam it shut when they came through.

Then Chloe leaped off the porch onto Lana's trail of broken snow and at full gallop ran toward Lana and the girls. As she came up to the trio running for their lives Lana pulled up and forward with her right hand almost throwing the youngest girl into Chloe's out stretched arms. Lana scooped up the older girl she had been holding with her left arm. Then Lana and Chloe each holding one of the girls in their arms across their chest so they could protect the children with their bodies charged towards the cabin.

They leapt onto the porch and half stumbled and half crashed through the door. Chloe screamed at the girl's mother to shut the door and then with a slam they were all back together in Lex's cabin. Everyone was crying but then they fell silent as another rifle shot echoed through the valley. The only sound in the cabin was that of lungs heaving in and out.

Moments earlier:

Missed! For a moment Viktor Sidiak couldn't believe he had missed such an easy shot. A second later another detonation spewed snow into the sky a few feet in front of him. He pulled his eye away from the scope and instinctively turned to the left but saw nothing due to the shielding rock. But the sound of the rifle shot told him the shooter had to be on the rim of the ridge to his left.

Who was shooting at him?

Viktor Sidiak realized that he must be invisible to the new shooter or else he would be dead. It was luck that saved him for the the shooter could not see him behind the rock. The strange counter sniper had taken the shot and exposed his presence to cover Lana Lang's incredible run bare foot through the snow to save the little girls.

The Russian looked back through the scope down into the valley just in time to see the back of Lana Lang with a child in her arms disappear into the cabin. Dam! The soft targets had gone to ground.

Viktor Sidiak immediately dismissed the soft targets from his mind. First deal with the counter sniper because the soft targets are not going anywhere.

The Russian knew the strange counter sniper had his covering rock zeroed, knowing full well that he would have to come around the rock to return fire.

The Russian felt no fear, no curiosity, no longer any surprise and even the disappointment in missing the shot was gone. His mind was that of the master sniper and now was only thinking, problem? Process. And solution!

Even when killing soft targets have a back door. The Russian smiled as he looked at the gully behind him that cut across the ridge and then dropped behind it.

Instead of being forced to rise and come around the rock to shoot at the counter sniper he wrapped himself in his snow smock. Then he backed away as low as some kind of arctic snake. He was counting on the counter sniper's scope being so powerful that its field of view would be too narrow. Even if he slipped a few inches into view on either side of the rock the whiteness of his snow smock camouflage would shield him. The Russian slid back squirming as low as possible to drop into the gully and out of view of the far side of the valley.

Once on the other side of the ridge he moved quickly away from the rock that the counter sniper had zeroed. He then slowly crawled up the edge of the ridge secure in the knowledge that the counter sniper would be still concentrating on his original shooting hide assuming he was stuck behind the rock.

The Russian tried to blend into the ridge to hide his silhouette and then started to run his eyes along the ridge on the other side of the valley. Then the Russian saw the shooter who was nothing more than a disturbance ever so slight along the line of the ridge. The disturbance could only be a man hunched over a rifle, with a cover rock and looking for a target.

Viktor Sidiak looked across the valley at his antagonist and thought about the distance. He was set up on the hillside of the valley with splayed legs in a good solid prone adductor magnus position. In his scope he looked at the counter sniper as the counter sniper concentrated on his old hide behind the rock. Setting up that hide with the gully as the back door had saved him and now was going to mean the death of the unknown counter sniper.

The Russian didn't have time to use his Leica binoculars to shoot a laser for the distance. Instead he pivoted his rifle scope slightly and found a solitary bush just down from the line of the ridge. He estimated the bush to be about a meter in diameter. By covering the bush with one of the mil-dots in his scope he did the math quickly in his head.

The black mass of the bush covered two mil-dots in his scope so multiply the assumed one meter diameter of the bush by one thousand and divide by two. A child could do it with no need to use the Trachtenberg system to speed mental mathematics as the answer popped out of approximately one thousand yards. Well less than a thousand but more than nine hundred so he held four mil-dots high.

He pivoted off the bush and back to the shooter. He steadied himself in adductor magnus and felt his finger on the trigger but did not consciously think about it but let it decide for itself, as if it was in control, then it fired.

Whitney had the rock in his sights and waited for the Russian behind it to look around from either side to try to locate where the shots came from that had saved the running women and the children. He felt good and confident. Whitney had the rock hide zeroed and was going to be able to force the Russian to engage on his terms.

Then a geyser of snow erupted three feet to Whitney's right followed by the whipcrack of a rifle shot. It was the wind that saved Whitney. The Russian had the range but there was some crosswind up high on Whitney's ridge and the Remington 7mm Magnum 175 grain Sierra Spitzer boattail bullet didn't have the weight to stand up to it. Over the long flight range the 175 grain Sierra Spitzer boattailed hollowpoint had drifted.

Chills ran down Whitney's spine as he realized if the Russian had been armed with an AWM .338 Lapua magnum instead of the lighter 7mm Remington Magnum he would be hit and either wounded or dead. The Russian wouldn't make that mistake again. Next shot he would be sure to adjust for the windage.

How did he get away? The Russian must have had an escape route set up behind his rock hide and used it to slip out of the trap. There was nothing that could be done now except get out of the line of fire so Whitney squirmed down off the ridge. A split second later a bullet blewing up an eruption of snow and rock fragments hit exactly where he had been lying.

'Christ on a cracker this Russian is good,' thought Whitney as he slid back further from the edge of the ridge.

For the first time it dawned on Whitney that one thing was certain; he was out of practice with ancient slug throwers. And maybe even out of his league in this sniper duel with Viktor Sidiak.

Whitney could only see one option. He couldn't go up or move down into the valley. All he could do is crawl down the ridge and fall back around one of the minor peaks of Mount McCaleb. Once Whitney disappeared around the small peak he would put Viktor Sidiak in the same position that he now found himself. Neither sniper would know where the other one was located so it would force the tactical situation into a kind of Mexican standoff. He just had to hope that when Viktor Sidiak disappeared it was not to move high enough to shoot down onto his ridge as he crawled along it.

As soon as his disappeared around the small minor peak Whitney planned to move to cover and set up an ambush for the Russian. The question was would the Russian come after him? What if Viktor Sidiak went low and moved hard on the cabin to finish off the girls?

Doubtful, the Russian assassin would be exposed too long as he crossed the valley floor. The Russian couldn't be sure that Whitney hadn't got lucky and found a notch in the ridge and set up to shoot anyone trying to approach the cabin. The longer this duel went on the tactical advantage would shift away from the Russian and to Whitney. Time was on Whitney's side not the Russian. By now Viktor Sidiak must know that Idaho police and troops would be trying to get to the isolated valley.

No the logic was sound. The Russian has to first come after him and kill the women later. The Russian's first priority is to eliminate the counter sniper threat because he is not on a kamikaze mission. He is a professional. He has an escape route set up but needs to eliminate the counter sniper before completing the mission and bugging out.

The Russian will come for him.

Whitney crawled down the ridge and slipped around behind the minor peak. He was breathing hard and feeling wet with sweat. His mouth was dry and his lungs heaved for oxygen. He heart was hammering against his ribs.

As he dropped behind the mountain he peeked back at the valley. The cabin lay at the far end in a huge field of snow. The trail of broken snow was visible where Lana and Chloe had run under fire in their harebrained but heroic rescue of the little girls.

Whitney picked up the rifle and used its telescopic scope to scan the mountain above. If he was the Russian that is exactly what he would have done. Climbed high while working his way around always trying for elevation. But Whitney could see nothing; no sign of a disturbance of any kind. He scanned back and forth but no movement registered on the slopes above him or on the eastern ridge of the valley.

He looked up at the slope of the mountain that increased until it disappeared into the clouds. What if Viktor Sidiak had already moved down the ridge on the east side of the valley and was already set up high in ambush? The ridge changed into a ledge that ran around the peak until after three hundred meters it petered out into a ravine or gully that ran down from the col to the valley floor. The ravine was like a gash that was cut into the side of the mountain. A long ragged scar filled with scrub vegetation and rocks all pristine with snow.

Whitney wanted to move past the col and ravine to find higher ground but beyond the ravine there was nothing but smooth rock. The mountain slope was smooth and bare offering no cover at all. It was too steep to climb with out equipment and there wasn't any protection even if he did have the gear.

There was really no choice. Whitney knew he had to set up at the top of the ravine in a position in the rocks. Viktor Sidiak would most likely work his way high around to him. He would only get one shot at the Russian coming down on him from above. Viktor Sidiak would have the advantage of elevation but the Russian wouldn't know where to look for Whitney. The Russian would have to hunt him and as he hunted he would expose himself.

'That is when I take him,' thought Whitney pretending to believe it.

A Short Time Earlier:

Viktor Sidiak studied the situation like a Russian chess master or a master sniper whose life was going to depend on the outcome. He had Lana Lang in his sights and ready to nail when the counter sniper surprised him.

The Russian knew it was only because he had set up his sniper hide behind a rock so a direct shot from across the valley was impossible that he was still alive. He was lucky to be alive but then so was the strange counter sniper. If it hadn't been for the wind far across the valley that caused the175 grain Sierra Spitzer boattail bullet of his counter shot to drift the strange counter sniper would be dead.

The Russian had adjusted quickly and fired a follow up shot taking into account the wind drift but the strange counter sniper had reacted just as fast and dropped down to disappear behind the ridge.

The Russian looked across the horseshoe of the valley through his Leica binoculars at the ridge where he had just missed killing the strange counter sniper. The counter sniper had disappeared but the Russian knew that his opponent couldn't go up or down since both would expose him. He also couldn't move toward the end of the valley where the cabin was due to the ledge along the ridge petering out to a sever drop into the next valley.

The counter sniper could only crawl desperately away from the end of the valley where the cabin was to move around the minor peak and set up in the next mountain col at the top of the gully to wait for a shot.

Viktor Sidiak scanned up and down the ridge on the other side of the valley from his position. The counter sniper was hiding behind the far ridge. He was either racked with indecision or had already started to crawl down the far side of the ridge to move around the minor peak.

Viktor Sidiak knew his tactical advantage was that the strange counter sniper didn't know where he was. However the tactical advance of the strange counter sniper over the Russian was that his primary targets were now in the cabin.

Time on was the side of the counter sniper. The counter sniper could tie him up all day in these mountains and still win without a decisive engagement. All he had to do was keep the Russian busy until the SWAT units made it into the cabin around mid day. Viktor Sidiak knew there would be help coming for the women because there was no way with the storm last night this counter sniper could have made it to the valley without significant logistical support.

Viktor Sidiak turned and looked at the cabin. That was the target and not the counter sniper. And his targets were as soft as a wet dream. Even more so now that he knew the women were not armed. No one with a gun would have charged almost naked through the snow to snatch a couple children without some fire power as cover if they were armed.

The cabin was just sitting there wide open and the strange counter sniper was cowering behind the far ridge. Viktor Sidiak was tempted to make a beeline straight for the front porch. Then all he had to do is kick the door in and kill the women and children to complete the job.

It was a tempting thought but also an impossible one. Viktor Sidiak could do it and ensure the death of everyone in the cabin but what he couldn't ensure after killing them his escape.

The moment he started to kill the women the strange counter sniper would hear the shots and know the Russian was inside the cabin. The counter sniper couldn't get to the cabin in time to save the women but he would set up some where high at end of the valley. Most likely in the col of the minor peak and Viktor Sidiak knew the counter sniper could really shoot so would have the zero of the cabin door.

Then the strange counter sniper would be, granted at a longer distance but in the same position he had been when Lana Lang surprised him by charging out of the cabin and into the snow.

By first killing the inhabitants of the cabin the Russian knew he would lose all his tactical advantages and would be killed as he tried to leave the cabin. The mission would be a success with the death of the soft targets but instead of an easy job the assassination would have become a suicide job. Suicide jobs were for religious fanatics not professional assassins.

No the only option was to exploit his current tactical advantage and hunt down the strange counter sniper. After killing the counter sniper the women in the cabin would turn back into unprotected soft targets and their assassin would have his planned escape route in place.

Viktor Sidiak used his Leica binoculars to shoot a ranging laser over and the readout answered back with 987 meters. He crunched the numbers in his head using the Trachtenberg speed system of mental mathematics and the bullet drop came out to be about forty two inches from his telescopic sights five hundred yard zero. That was four mil-dots high on the telescopic sight's reticle.

The Russian's Remington 700 rifle was equipped with a Browning Ballistic Optimizing System which is a kind of screw-on nozzle that can be micro-turned to generate the best vibrational characteristics for accuracy.

Viktor Sidiak only hesitated for a second before he quickly unscrewed and removed it from his sniper rifle. He reached inside his parka and took out an AWC suppressor. It was a long black tube of anodized aluminum packed with sound absorbent material. In other words it was a type of 'silencer' for a rifle.

The AWC suppressor wouldn't completely silence a supersonic rifle shot but it would reduce the 460-dB level of the gas exploding out of his barrel by trapping it and bleeding it off gradually. The sound of his rifle shot would drop from 460-dB to down under a hundred dbs which was about the sound of a BB gun.

From a distance the sound of one of his shots would not only be quiet but also more diffuse. It would not reveal his position. The strange counter sniper would hear only the crack of the bullet as it broke the sound barrier but nothing from the muzzle blast that could pin point his location.

This meant the Russian could shoot at the strange counter sniper but the counter sniper could not locate the Russian by the sound of the Russian's muzzle blast to shoot back.

There was one downside to changing over to the AWC suppressor. Viktor Sidiak knew taking off the Browning Ballistic Optimizing System was going to change his rifle's zero but he didn't know by how much. He would have to use his next shot at the counter sniper as a ranging shot to visually adjust the same way he had when his first shot had drifted in the wind.

Still Viktor Sidiak thought that with the Leica binocular laser range finder and the suppressor he had a significant tactical advantage over the strange counter sniper. The Russian carefully screwed the suppressor tight to the barrel of his Remington 700 rifle.

The Russian knew one other thing because he had time to do so he had studied the topographical maps. He knew that once the counter sniper got around the minor peak he would be in for a surprise. The elevation got much higher and the ledge eventually disappeared into a smooth shear drop. There was no ridge on the back side as there were none fronting the valley.

At the top of the gully in the col the counter sniper would hit a dead end. He would have no place to move to and would only be able to set up and hope for a lucky surprise shot. And Viktor Sidiak was in no way going to be surprised again.

Viktor Sidiak knew the counter sniper would be expecting him to scamper upward as he made his way around the end of the valley on his side as there were ridges both facing the valley and on the back side. Since the Russian had the initiative the conventional tactical move would be to climb upward to gain further advantage of height.

The Russian knew he had a good eight to ten minute window of time where he could ascend and slide into place on one of the lesser peaks of Mount McCaleb. Then he could shoot down on the counter sniper as he hit the dead end at the col and was forced to set up for a lucky ambush shot.

Viktor looked at the options and dealt the counter sniper a joker while he pulled the ace out of the deck. The best tactical choice was also the opposite of conventional sniper tactics 101. Viktor Sidiak decided to go down, not up.

The Russian dropped off his ridge and started to slide down to the valley floor. He had to move fast since there would be a dangerous period of vulnerability as he went across the valley floor but with his snow skills and knowledge of the dead end awaiting the counter sniper at the col the risk was worth it.

He knew that the counter sniper facing his ridge disappearing into a smooth cliff face would be busy setting up a hide in the col to wait in ambush for the Russian who he would assume had ascended to fight.

So the plan was for the Russian to sprint across the valley to the base of the gully running down from the mountain col. Then all he had to do is find good position and shoot uphill into the flank of the counter sniper. Viktor Sidiak would scope the distance to the col at the top of the gully.

Then he would put his shots silently into the flank of his antagonist's hide precise and perfect. The counter sniper would not even know where the shots came from due to the Russian's AWC suppressor. The counter sniper would hear nothing but the crack of the bullets as they broke the sound barrier echoing around the valley.

Then Russian would drive the counter sniper out of his hide and back up the col out of cover and there he would die. Then all Viktor Sidiak would have to do is back track to the cabin, kick the door in and kill the witnesses, the soft targets.

In the Cabin a short while earlier:

Lana's lungs heaved air in and out to claw back the oxygen debt from her terrifying sprint through the snow to save the children. The little girls were both crying as their mother tried to comfort them. Lana in between breaths choked out, "Everyone get downstairs; those are high powered rifles outside that can shoot right through more than just the windows. We have to get below ground."

It was a scared group that quickly went down the front stairs into the cellar. Lana told the girl's mother to get dressed while Chloe and she waited at the bottom of the stairs.

The Witness was back in a moment with some of Lana's clothes and as Lana pulled them on she became aware of just how cold she was from her bare foot run in the snow.

After a quick thanks Lana told the Witness to take the girls over to the fire so they couldn't hear her and Chloe's conversation. There was no reason to continue to scare the daylights out of the little girls.

Chloe caught Lana's eye, "What about blocking the front door?"

Lana looked pensive for a moment and then answered, "The front door is solid but still wouldn't stop a bullet so let's keep away from it. The door is equipped with a Robson police lock but all an Intergang hitman needs to do is shoot out the hinges or lock to get inside."

Chloe looked at the front door at the top of the stairs. "Then I guess all we can do is hope the good guy outside wins." She looked back to Lana, "I know what Lex said but do you really think after all these years it could be Whitney out there?"

Lana shrugged, "Ever since I learned what that weretiger really was that I saw jump out of Clark's loft and run across the barnyard into the Kent's back yard I have found it easier to believe just about any thing."

Lana sighed, "Whitney was a Marine sniper in Indonesia and Lex said Whitney told him to tell us he was coming. Lex told us that Intergang had hired a Russian sniper to kill us so put the pieces together and I have to believe that it is Whitney and the Russian sniper out there."

Chloe shuttered, "It's just that last night it was all too surreal to be real. I mean a Russian sniper and space aliens coming to a hunting cabin to kill us? It just sounded too much like a plot for a bad action movie. Even being Ms Wall of Weird and knowing it's true I still find all of it hard to believe."

"Same here Chloe but for now it's out of our hands and in the hands of the two men outside that are trying to kill each other. All we can do is set up down here for a siege. We will put the girls and their mother in the far corner and move the sofa over so they can hide behind it. And then we get our incredible arsenal of weapons by which I mean the kitchen knives and fireplace poker and wait to see who comes through the front door."

Lana paused for a moment and said as an after thought, almost to her self, "And pray that the last shot in the duel outside is fired by the man from Smallville."

In Whitney's Sniper Hide:

Whitney was sure that Viktor Sidiak would come around the peak from the other side of the valley but the Russian would come around high. That is when he would get a shot, maybe only one but he knew he could make it.

Whitney tried to calculate the difference between his .308 NATO cartridge and the Russian's 7mm Remington Magnum. The 7mm Remington Magnum had a muzzle velocity that was more than four hundred feet per second faster with almost a thousand foot pounds more killing energy so it shot much flatter.

The Russian if he was shooting at less than five hundred yards could hold just a bit over him and pull the trigger not worrying about the bullet drop. So this meant that Whitney needed to stay at least five hundred yards away because the drop plus the windage would be his best defense.

The problem was that distance helped him defend but hurt his offence even more than the Russian. Once again Whitney cursed the universe for putting his AWM .338 Lapua Magnum in the back of his mother's truck at Metropolis airport.

Whitney looked through the scope scanning the peak high for the Russian. He saw nothing but he knew the Russian was coming. The Russian was hunting him.

Whitney came to a dead end in the col between the two minor peaks. The ledge had given out and it was too steep to climb past this point. Maybe with time and some technical climbing equipment he could engineer some elevation but not in the current situation.

Whitney looked down into the sector of valley below him. The valley floor was covered with snow painted trees and brush. All the standing trees below were bent into extravagant postures under the weight of their white burden.

It was a sculptured garden, a winter wonderland, a theme park in white, beautiful, delicate and grotesque all at once. It looked quite poetic from seven hundred yards up but there was no time to dwell on it because it was on his flank and Viktor Sidiak would be coming at him from above.

Whitney knew he'd get one good shot at the Russian. The Russian would have the advantage of elevation but he wouldn't know where exactly to look. The Russian would have to scout and then he would expose himself while he looked for Whitney's hide. 'That is when I take him,' thought Whitney as he tried to convince himself he would be the lucky one.

It began to snow again with flakes cascading down, fluting and swirling in the light wind. Whitney didn't feel good about this and the hairs on the back of his neck agreed.

Viktor Sidiak moved quickly through the falling snow heading to the stand of trees at the end of the valley. He wanted to set up at the bottom of the gully that cut into the rock all the way down from the col to the valley floor.

He almost ran across the valley floor feeling vulnerable and exposed even though he knew the counter sniper would not be looking down into the valley but up into the high altitude. He edged into the tree line and set up where he could look up the gully to the rocky col seven hundred yards above him. He also could keep an eye on the cabin down the valley in case the women panicked and tried to run.

The Russian looked up the gully checking for natural hides where an experienced sniper would go to ground. The whole little war between the two snipers had been distilled to this abstract problem: Where was the other sniper?

Two men in white in a white cold war in the white mountains in extreme isolation were hunting each other, going for any little edge experience and luck could deal them. Whoever read the tactical situation better would win. It had nothing to do with courage or really even marksmanship. It would simply come down to who was the better practitioner of the sniper's skills.

Viktor Sidiak looked up the gash of the gully and realized that the counter sniper coming around the minor peak and hitting the dead end in the col would have no choice but to seek refuge at the top. Up there somewhere in the col of the two mountains he would set up his hide.

The Russian picked up his Leica binoculars and scanned the top of the gully. He could see nothing but the rocks under their packing of snow. Even with the falling snow visibility was not bad. He's up there. He has got to be up there.

He triggered a laser shot to the top of the gash bouncing it off a rock and the range came back as 688 meters. Now with known distance and adjusting for shooting upward he did the math quickly in his head. He would be holding at the center of the third mil-dot. He felt that he was close enough that the sides of the mountains would shield the bullet from the wind so it wouldn't drift laterally.

Viktor Sidiak hunted with his Leica binoculars looking for any clues to where his prey could be hiding. The rocks were every where up there looking like a garden of stone humped with snow. He looked for any disturbances in the snow indicating that a man had crawled into position to set up a hide but he could see nothing due to the upward angel.

How to see him? What will give him away?

Then it hit the Russian: the counter sniper has to breathe. Up there a man's breath will rise like fog, well maybe more like a light vapor than fog but it will show. He has to breathe so can be seen.

Viktor Sidiak pulled his concentration into his being and began to rescan with his binoculars.

Then it was there, or was it there? Maybe it was an optical illusion like a mirage. No, it was the slightest thing. A wispy curl was coming from a counter sniper as he dissolved into the rocks waiting for his prey as he scanned the higher altitude. From the valley floor on the counter sniper's flank the Russian smiled.

The counter sniper was on his belly, nestled behind the rocks at the very top of the gully. He lay with the sniper's professional patience, totally engaged in the hunt. However the counter sniper was searching the higher ground and not looking down the gully to the trees on the valley floor.

The counter sniper was ignoring his flank.

The Russian fixed the counter sniper's position in his minds eye and put the binoculars down. He raised the Remington 700 rifle and went to scope. The telescopic sight was not as powerful as the Leica binoculars and its field of vision was much smaller but his mind's eye brought the crosshairs dead onto the little trail of vapor that marked his prey.

Through the scope the Russian could see half an inch of white parka above the rock covering the prone back of the counter sniper. He settled on this part of the target by centering it on the third mil-dot.

The Russian thought, 'Should I take the shot? I may not have enough of him to drive into the vital inner organs and would just wound him. My zero might be off from when I took off the Browning Ballistic Optimizing System? What does it matter? I have a sound suppressor. He will not know what position I am shooting from. Even if he is wounded he will have to move when I bring him under fire. He won't know if I am above or below him. He will have to move and I will chase him all over the gully. He can't go forward because the ledge disappears into a shear cliff and he can't fly. If he goes back I will take him as he scurries rock to rock trying to retrace his tracks around the minor peak. I have him either way.'

Viktor Sidiak smiled and then exhaled his breath taking command of his senses waiting until the total rightness of his shot fell across him. Without any conscious thought the Russian's trigger broke and a 175 grain Sierra Spitzer boattailed hollowpoint bullet flew through the cold mountain air directly at Whitney Fordman.

Whitney lay in his hide at the top of the gully in the col of the two minor peaks. With the discipline of a master sniper he continuously scanned above and focused on three different areas.

One was the ridge on Viktor Sidiak's side of the valley where it came around the mountain about 100 meters up, second was a notch cut into a line drawn directly from the peak and twisted back on itself and the third was a nest of rocks about 200 meters up that swam in and out of visibility as the clouds permitted. Whitney knew the Russian would have moved for the high ground and would appear at one of those places as he came around the minor peak with the idea of shooting downward.

With focused patience he moved his eyes between them, the first, the second and third as he waited for the moment to arrive.

Whitney turned around and quickly checked the cabin at the far end of the valley. The snow was falling steady now. It pirouetted down from the grey sky and now the cabin was barely visible. It looked like it was going to snow all day which was not good. The longer it snowed the longer it would take the Idaho SWAT teams and Special Forces groups to get to the valley.

Where is the Russian? It was driving him nuts. Viktor Sidiak was on a time table and had to take the initiative and hunt for him. Where was the Russian?

Then right there lying in the rocks suddenly a tremendous pain ripped across his back like he had been whacked hard with a whippy strip of hard steel. Whitney curled in pain and knew instantly he had been shot. But then no shock pored into him and his organs didn't red line their internal gyros.

Instead a powerful spasm of fury kicked through him and he knew in less than a second he had not been hit seriously. Immediately he pushed his legs back out to go flat to ground dropping his head in the process. At that moment a second bullet went singing off the rock right beside where his head had been less than a second ago.

Christ on a cracker, the fucker has me zeroed! Then Whitney listened to the crack of the bullet breaking the sound barrier echo around the end of the valley.

But where was the muzzle blast? Then the tactical situation started to clear. There was no muzzle blast. The Russian had to be using a muzzle blast suppressor.

The Russian could be anywhere. Whitney tried to melt into the rocks in the shallow hollow but no other shot came. Clearly the Russian had him completely zeroed but he was not quite visible enough for a good body or head shot. Whitney was paralyzed and not by choice. He had no place to run and was completely out foxed.

He tried to determine from thought alone where Viktor Sidiak was set up. Given that the shot that just missed his head and hit the rock and defected up meant the Russian had to be below him. If the Russian had been above him in one of the three places he had been scanning and he would be dead. No, the shot came from the down slope.

The Russian had out thought him by descending into the valley and was now shooting up into the gully. Whitney thought about what was down there and remembered the little patch of forest covered in snow. The sniper was somewhere on the valley floor but with out a sound signature from his muzzle blast to locate him the Russian was invisible.

Do something. The Russian is maybe five hundred or six hundred meters from the cabin. Do what? Move, crawl. But you are zeroed. If you move you die.

Checkmate. No moves possible and still caught in the rocks and trapped.

Viktor Sidiak could see the counter sniper cowering in what was going to be his open grave and could sense the counter sniper's rage at being cornered. It occurred to the Russian to move ever so slightly to find a better angle, a better shooting position to drive home the killing shot. But then why move and risk missing a good shot just when the counter sniper is helpless, wounded, in pain and leaking blood.

Viktor Sidiak rested his Remington 700 rifle on the tree trunk and felt comfortable. The reticle was steady; he knew the range from taking a laser shot with his Leica binoculars. The target was wounded so it was merely a matter of time and the snow meant time was available.

The counter sniper can do nothing.

Whitney sucked the rock and tried to think of a way out; any way out. He had to move before the Russian went for position and found a shooting vector that would kill him. But how do you move when a master sniper had your hide zeroed with a "noise suppressed" rifle?

Whitney thought of his fight in the Valley of Death in North Korea all those years ago. Back then he used a smoke grenade to signal his position to the F-18s so they could line up for their napalm bombing run.

He wished he had that smoke grenade now. You can move under smoke. Under smoke the sniper can't see you.

Why keep thinking about smoke?

You don't have smoke……….but you have snow!

Whitney looked off across to the side of the mountain that faced the valley. Hanging on the cliff face were huge icy slabs of old snow from separate blizzards. The old snow was layered like a cake which meant one thing: avalanche snow.

Avalanche snow and a sniper somewhere down below at the bottom of the gully.

Whitney could feel the huge slabs of snow groaning, yearning for some kind of freedom. He edged over on his side keeping his profile low in his shallow rocky grave.

He reached inside his parka and removed the 9mm Beretta 92 pistol. He steeled himself. The snow was the diversion that was going to give him the jump in his desperate run down the gully to a stand of rocks about sixty or seventy meters below him.

It was instinct shooting, unaimed fire, but his ability at this arcane pistol skill had always been quite good. He threaded his other wrist through the sling of his sniper rifle to secure it for his mad dash down the gully. He thumbed back the trigger of the Beretta and took a deep breath.

Something was happening up at the top of the gully. Viktor Sidiak's ears picked up a series of dry popping cracks. He looked hard through the scope and he thought he saw a few flashes; it had to be an automatic pistol.

What was the trapped counter sniper doing? Was he trying to signal to other men in the area? Who could be in the area with last night's blizzard shutting down the whole state?

In the next couple seconds the Russian's questions were answered. The counter sniper was shooting at the avalanche snow on the mountain face counting on the noise and bullet impact to bury him in his hide at the bottom of the gully.

The Russian knew snow from Afghanistan and was sure he was far enough away to be reasonably safe from being buried.

Then the surprise happened; the counter sniper wasn't counting on burying him but just turning some snow into smoke.

The snow slid down the mountain toward the Russian but hit a stand of pines close to him which broke any chance of burying him but the small avalanche kicked up a fine blast of powder into the air. It was dense enough to take the sight picture away from the Russian.

Viktor Sidiak lost the counter sniper's position and put the scope down because he could never find the target in the scope's narrow width of vision. Then with the naked eye he saw the counter sniper running down the gully at an incredible speed. The Russian had never seen anyone move that fast outside of an Olympic 100 meter final. He brought his rifle up fast but lost the counter sniper before picking him up a full sixty meters further down the gully from his original hide.

Viktor Sidiak picked up the sight picture and adjusted for the lead on the moving target and fired quickly but the bulled impacted over the running counter sniper kicking up a large geyser of snow.

Viktor Sidiak couldn't believe it but then realized it was not the man's running but the fact that he was running toward him that caused the mistake. The range had changed and he was still holding for 688 meters. The range of the running man was probably down to 610 or 620 meters. But now it was too late to take a second shot since the counter sniper had come to rest behind some upright rocks and was now in a much better position to shoot down the gully to the valley floor.

Whitney leaned against the rock as his chest heaved in and out to pull oxygen into his system. Once his pulse slowed down he leaned out around to try to take a peek and a bullet sang off the rock an inch from his face kicking a puff of granite dust. He blinked his eye as it filled with pain and then he winced and more pain drove into his eye.

This Russian is just too good. Viktor Sidiak had seen only the faintest portion of head exposed and he was on it that fast putting a bullet an inch away from his eye. An inch at better than 600 meters; could that SOB shoot or what? Whitney blinked and then opened the eye and the pain began to subside as the flick of granite dropped out of it.

Whitney hunched behind the rock that Russian had just as zeroed as he had the shallow grave hide eighty meters further up and out. The Russian was so good.

The Russian didn't need to take any ranging shots but got the range right every single time. Once again Whitney was pinned and eyeballed with a zero on his forehead.

No ranging shots meant that Viktor Sidiak had the gift. The gift was for estimating distance. Some men had it and some didn't but most like the gift of 20/15 or 20/10 vision didn't have it.

Golfers think they can estimate distance but that's only true up close. Golfers never have to go out past three hundred or four hundred yards. A golfer is told distance on the tee of a par five and then hits his drive as far as possible. After a drive the golfer just has to estimate the distance of his approach to the green. Anyone can see the difference between a hundred yards vs a hundred and fifty yards.

But only the gifted few four or five standard deviations to the right of the mean could estimate the difference between six hundred and seven hundred meters.

Most people couldn't even see that far let alone estimate the distance even with a good point of reference. The Russian however had the gift.

Distance was in fact the weakest part of Whitney's sniper game. He was gifted in spades with all the other natural gifts of a sniper starting with his 20/10 vision but he did have trouble estimating the range out past 500 meters.

Using his eye sight that was approximately twice as good as so called perfect 20/20 vision Whitney had worked out a crude naked eye system for estimating range. If he could make out eyes it was under 150 meters, if he would make out the face he was under 300 meters, if he could make out the head he was under 450 meters, if he could make out the legs it was under 600 meters if he could make out just torso it was under 750 meters and if he could see only movement then it was under 900 meters.

The Russian didn't need any crude naked eye system because he had the gift to look and then by some weird mechanics of the brain simply know the distance, even out past 500 meters.

Down below Viktor Sidiak waited and scoped the rocks waiting for a sliver of body to show so he could nail the counter sniper and then finish the job in the cabin.

There is nothing like facing death and having time to think to focus the mind and the freakish sniper mechanics of Whitney's brain kicked in.

He was wrong! The Russian didn't have the gift.

The Russian had the same weakness he had. The Russian had missed him when he started the avalanche and ran down the gully. Whitney now knew why the Russian had missed him. It was because the range had changed. The Russian had estimated the lead right but slightly misjudged the range and missed. But when Whitney was a still and stationary target the Russian knew exactly the range.

Then the last piece of the answer hit Whitney; the Russian didn't have the gift for range sighting but had to be using a range finder.

Viktor Sidiak was starting to feel uneasy. It was taking all together too long to kill the counter sniper. The snow was still falling but not as hard and a little breeze had kicked up to toss and twist the falling flakes. The wind got under the crack of his hood where he had started to sweat and cut into him like a tiny scythe.

How much time does he have to kill the counter sniper? No one would be flying in for another two or three hours but maybe the police or ranger units could get in early by snowmobile? A very uncharacteristic sense of uneasiness settled over the Russian assassin.

The Russian kept on the scope, rifle cocked and finger riding on the curve of the trigger with his concentration focused. He pivoted on the fulcrum of the log and ran the scope along the ridge of rocks waiting for even a sliver of target to appear. It had to happen, if there is one thing the counter sniper had shown him it was the man's nature would compel action and that same nature would end in his doom.

Why be uneasy? I have a sound suppressor. The counter sniper can't hear me or see me. It is just a matter of time.

Whitney racked his brain about the range finder. It was a laser; they were everywhere from smart bombs, to gun sights, to medical operations and now to measure distance. Just bounce a laser off an object, measure the time back and do a quick calculation and there you have it. The problem is the ranging laser was off the visible spectrum since it projected no beam or visible red dot on the target.

How could he see it?

The suddenly it occurred to him.

Night vision, use the night vision goggles. Whitney picked the goggles out of his parka pocket where he had stuffed them, forgotten since dawn. He slid the harness over his skull and pulled the goggles over his eyes and turned them on. They turned the world into a green landscape as if everything was in a green glass aquarium.

How can I get him to laser me again? But even as he thought how Whitney knew the answer. The answer was so very dam dangerous.

Whitney knew he had to move again and change the range so that the Russian would for one last time go to his range finder. If the night vision goggles could see the laser it would be like a neon arrow in the green landscape pointing to the Russian's hiding place.

Viktor Sidiak was scanning back and forth the cluster of rocks when he noticed puffs of breath rising above an over hanging boulder signaling some kind of physical exertion. He watched and the over hanging boulder seemed to tremble.

What could be happening? No man could move a boulder that size? Then he remembered just how blindingly fast the counter sniper had been in his run down the gully after starting the small avalanche with his automatic pistol.

The physical shape of the counter sniper was like that of a superman but even a superman wasn't faster than a speeding bullet.

Super fit or super strength the counter sniper was just a man that would die like any other with a 7mm Magnum through the lungs.

Why is he trying to move the rock?

Then the over hanging boulder wobbled erratically and seemed to pause for a second before tumbling over to gracefully pitch forward. It pulled a score of smaller rocks with it and uncurled a shroud of snow as it fell down the gully.

He never gives up; the counter sniper is still trying to start an avalanche. But it wasn't going to work. The Russian knew that avalanche snow is old snow that has fallen in layers with its structure eroded into layers by melt into a network of fault lines between slabs of dry snow. Where as the snow in the gully was too wet and new to avalanche.

The counter snipers excuse for a second avalanche would never go anywhere. It might fly at bit at first from the boulder but it wouldn't build but instead die out after just a few hundred meters.

As he predicted Viktor Sidiak watched through the scope as the rocks tumbled with trailing snow but a hundred meters down the angle of the slope flattened and they lost energy and ground to a halt. The Russian almost chuckled at the desperate last gasp idea and then brought the rifle back to bear on the line of rocks where the counter sniper had played his last card.

As he scanned upward he thought he saw a streak of white running down desperately in the wake of the pitiful dead avalanche. He panned past it and then came back but wouldn't quite find it again. The Russian cursed as he realized that once again the counter sniper used a diversion to move position.

A few moments later the Russian belittled himself for cursing. Who cares if the counter sniper moves closer? Now the man had even less maneuverability and he still couldn't see him so what does it matter?

The Russian smiled as the counter sniper made his last mistake.

The duel was almost over. Viktor Sidiak put down his rifle and picked up his binoculars and prepared to shoot a laser just to verify the distance to the rocks at the end of the little avalanche that the counter sniper had taken refuge behind. Just to be certain and to set up for the kill shot when the counter sniper sticks his head out an inch.

Whitney slammed against the boulder but didn't feel the impact. In one motion he pulled on his night vision goggles and stuck his whole head up over the rock to peer desperately into the floor of the valley at the bottom of the gully.

He was violating the basic rule of sniping which says never to look over an obstacle because it makes you too obvious and thus vulnerable to counter fire. Instead drop down and look around it but Whitney knew he had to chance putting his goggle covered head up like a huge pumpkin to be plugged.

He scanned the phosphorescent green world of the valley floor as he waited for the Russian to either laser him or blow his head off. For two seconds he waited for either the laser or 1800 foot pounds of 7mm Remington Magnum lead to arrive and erase him from earth.

Two more seconds slowly crawled by each taking a lifetime. That was it, there was no laser and he could risk it no longer.

Then at last it came cutting a yellow line of light out of a crack in a phosphorescent green universe. It pinged right at him and hit the rock he was looking over. It lasted just an instant but pointed a straight line directly to the Russian sniper.

Whitney locked the source of the beam of light into his mind's eye. He didn't move a muscle, not a molecule, not an atom. He locked his body holding that invisible point in the infinity of his mind as he whipped his rifle up in one smooth motion to his shoulder. Whitney didn't move his head to find the scope but brought the scope to that precise lock of his mind's eye. His finger found the curve of the trigger and he felt his life come back to him.

Whitney looked Viktor Sidiak set up behind a fallen trunk in arctic warfare camouflage taking down what looked like binoculars from his eyes. Whitney closed his focus down until the cross hairs of his scope became the crucifier. He made a slight correction to shoot lower to compensate for the downward angle and then the trigger went on its own and he fired.

You never hear the one that gets you.

Viktor Sidiak was thinking 'I finally have him' when he realized he wasn't invisible but the counter sniper was aiming right at him.

The Russian seemed to be at the center of an explosion. He jumped out of the universe not feeling any pain but only shock. Then a moment later he was reinserted back into this universe and it was a bloody one.

Then he realized he was listening to a gurgling bubbling wheeze that was synchronized with his attempts to breathe. There was a sucking chest wound on his left side with air in blood bubbles coming out both exit and entrance wounds. The internal damage was total.

Death his constant friend that he had introduced so many to was finally coming for him.

The Russian wondered if he had the strength to pick up the Remington 700 rifle and move position to wait in ambush for his executioner to come down for a look before he bled to death.

A second later he realized the counter sniper in that gully would not be so foolish. The counter sniper had time on his side and would just wait the few minutes it took for him to bleed out.

He cursed the universe that though it's alchemy had snatched victory from him. There was no option now of escape but only failure or success. The Russian knew the counter sniper would be hiding behind his rock waiting for him to bleed to death. He pulled himself up and looked toward the far end of the valley.

Five hundred meters, he could make it and finish the job. Not with the heavy rifle but with his 9mm Glock 19 pistol. He could make it as the counter sniper lay low unsure if he was dead or holding on for a last shot.

The wounded Russian with Glock 19 pistol in hand started off across five hundred meters of winder wonderland toward the cabin and the unarmed women and children.

Whitney crouched behind the cover of the rock and replayed the shot in his mind. He recalled the sight picture with the crosshairs locked rock solid and holding low because of the downward angle. He couldn't be sure of a center chest hit since there could have been a twig in the way or a slight breeze he couldn't feel from the gully blowing off the contour of the mountain. But the sight picture was as perfect as it could be and his sniper instincts said if he had to call it, he would call it a hit.

Whitney edged around the rock and looked with one eye. The Russian had already shown he should shoot an inch at 600 meters so it was a risk but one that was required. He didn't see anything, no movement, no anything. He pulled back after a few seconds.

A few moments later with the rifle he poked back around and scanned the Russian's hide. There was no sign of him. There was a dark spot off to the side that could be blood but it was impossible to tell this far away.

Did I hit him? Is he dead? If he is wounded how much time do I give him to bleed out?

If the Russian was still alive why hadn't he tried to counter shoot back? Maybe the Russian was waiting for the perfect moment.

A dozen scenarios instantly occurred to Whitney. Maybe Viktor Sidiak had moved to a fall back position. Maybe he had moved laterally. Maybe even now the Russian was moving to get a killing angle.

Whitney didn't want to lose now and not just because he naturally had no interest in dying. Even if he hit the Russian with a killing wound there was still time for Viktor Sidiak to kill him with a final shot. Then even having stopped the Russian sniper Lana would still die.

In an hour there would be a Weave space speeder landing in the valley. He had to be alive to stop Aisha and the Kzin twins from ripping Lana's lungs out through her nose.

Lana! What if the Russian was headed to the cabin? After all that was the original mission. Whitney knew then he had to risk exposure and get to the Russian's hide to find out exactly what happened. Whitney knew how fast the Turlog and Hivistahm doctors had made him but it was still going to be a scary run, wide open down the gully.

He took a deep breath and bolted out from behind his rock cover. He was a blur of white as he ran bobbing and twisting, turning angles obliquely and using any cover he could find. He tried to make himself difficult to hit even knowing that if Viktor Sidiak was whole at such a short range the Russian would have no problem killing him.

But no shot came. Whitney's heart was beating rapidly and there was no breath left in his lungs. The air itself seemed to be scorched of oxygen. He made it to the tree line off the flank of the Russian's sniper hide. He held his sniper rifle like a submachine gun as he closed from the flank on the sniper hide.

Branches and bushes heavy with snow stood out like an extravagant display of modern art while he worked his way closer. Then after the last branch the sniper hide was in front of him. No one was there. All Whitney could hear was his own breath.

The blood told the story.

Viktor Sidiak had been hit bad. A magnificent Remington 700 rifle lay abandoned in the snow beside a pair of Leica ranging binoculars. A deep burgundy raspberry sherbet marked where the Russian's blood had gathered on the ground from the impact of the .308 bullet.

He had nailed the Russian but there was no exhilaration because there was something wrong with the scene. The tracks and blood trail told him the Russian was seriously wounded but not dead. The blood trail pointed toward the far end of the valley.

There were two sharp pistol shots and a banging sound. Whitney looked up to see the back of a man standing in the frame of the front door of the cabin. The automatic door spring pulled the door shut and the man disappeared.

"He is in there with Lana and Chloe!" flashed through Whitney's mind.

A short time earlier:

Viktor Sidiak fell twice in the snow in his 500 meter death march but each time pulled himself back up. When he looked up the cabin appeared to be no closer.

He thought of the past. The long stalks and longer shots in more than a dozen war zones. He had hunted men in the most dangerous game and been victorious in them all. That is all of them but the one today. His last one.

As he willed himself toward the cabin he thought of all the times he had been hit. It was no less than eleven wounds and not always from rifles since two were blade wounds. One blade wound was from an Angolan and the other from a mujahideen woman.

He thought of the past and then present but didn't waste a second thinking about the future.

Then the front door of the cabin was in front of him. Without any conscious thought the Glock pistol pointed at the Robson police lock and fired twice. He stepped forward and somewhere found the strength to kick and with a bang the door swung open.

He stepped into the darkness only marginally aware that he had finally made it inside. He knew exactly what he had to do to complete the mission and the door slammed shut behind him cutting off the light and leaving him in the darkness.

The steps to the basement were directly in front of him. He could hear the crying of little girls in the darkness. They must be over in the corner of the basement.

He lumbered forward to the head of the stairs like a loser of a husband coming home drunk to beat his wife.

The women and children crouched behind the sofa in the corner. The little girls cried while the women waited to die.

The Russian stood at the top of the stairs waiting for his eyes to adjust to the dark. To those in the basement he looked like a muscular savage dressed in white except for a profuse smear of blood that irrigated the front of his chest as it leaked down to his snow pants and dripped onto the floor.

There was one chance and Lana took it. She came out from behind the sofa and walked over to the bottom of the steps. She paused ignoring Chloe's desperate whisper and then climbed three steps to stop on the third step from the bottom.

"I'm Lana Lang, the public prosecutor; it is me you want, no one else."

Blood showed in the Russian's teeth and it looked like he tried to smile but instead he coughed and the blood erupted from his mouth to splash down his chest. His lungs were full of blood. He was drowning in it. Why wouldn't he fall?

He laughed and in a strong Russian accent said, "No, it's everyone."

With mad determination Viktor Sidiak lifted the Glock 19 until it pointed in her face.

Moments Earlier:

The front door banged shut but after forty years of combat experience in the galaxy Whitney Fordman never panicked.

He dropped his .308 and snatched up Viktor Sidiak's abandoned 7mm Remington Magnum rifle for the extra three hundred feet per second of velocity and the five hundred extra foot pounds of energy.

Then he ran at a full sprint at speed that would set a world record on a track but not for the cabin. It was too far away. He ran for a good straight in angle to the front door.

He slid the bolt open a crack to confirm a round was in the spout. In his mind's eye Whitney saw it all. The Russian would step into the darkness and pause as his eyes adjusted. He would be there, standing on the other side of the door for the length of time it took his pupils to adjust. Time measured in a few seconds.

He dropped and wrapped the sling tight about his supporting arm feeling the bite of pain from the open wound grooved into his back. It was 500 meters if it was an inch but that had to be the zero on the rifle since Viktor Sidiak had come too close to him too often.

He took three breaths building up his oxygen and felt his heart scream: Faster! Faster! While his brain answered: Slower! Slower! He laid the crosshairs of the telescopic scope dead center on the front door and prayed for the extra oomph of the 7mm Magnum to do its thing.

Whitney felt a moment of clarity and at the subliminal level willed everything into the shot: the relaxation of the finger, all the years of training, the discipline of breath, the cooperation of the rods and cones in the eye's back wall. The small town sports hero turned space warrior willed the shot into the sniper zone where the world at the edges is gray and blurry yet the center is sharp and clear.

Nothing matters to make the shot that matters the most.

The pistol settled on her and Lana looked into the hugeness of the bore and felt like it was going to swallow her up.

Lana closed her eyes. It was going to be any second now and then she felt…..warm spatter in a mist or fog filling the air in a meaty vapor.

Mixed into this sensation was the sound of wood splitting. Lana's face was suddenly wet with droplets that were warm and heavy and red.

The Russian sniper looked at her with a face that was pulped with the upper quadrant ripped away revealing splintered bone and spurting blood.

Even as this bloody vision was fixed into Lana's memory Viktor Sidiak fell sideways and with a thump what was left of his head banged on the floor. It then slipped over the top step exposing the ragged entry wound on the back of the Russian's skull.

A ray of light pierced the darkness showing where a 175 grain Sierra Spitzer boattailed hollowpoint bullet had blown a hole through the front door.

Lana felt her knees go weak but she caught herself and then turned to the women and children behind the sofa in the corner of the basement. They looked at her with their mouths hanging wide open and showing more horror than relief in their eyes.

Then with perfect deliberation Lana Lang said, "My boyfriends back!"

To be continued as Part 55: The Quarterback and the Cheerleader or Sniper Soup is an Alien Invader Favorite!


	60. A Call To Arms Part 55

Part 56: The Quarterback and the Cheerleader or Sniper Soup is an Alien Invader Favorite!

Lana's eyes snapped to the front door as it was flung open and a white ghost appeared holding a huge rife poised to take out anything. A heartbeat later the rifle barrel was pointing at the bloody body of the Russian sniper. Whitney didn't have to check for a pulse with the Russian's brains hanging out of his head.

Lana stared at the white ghost as she tried to find her voice.

Whitney lifted his eyes from the body to look at her and even with the Russian's blood splattered across her face Lana Lang looked as good as she did at the Smallville bus station when he kissed her goodbye almost fifty years ago.

"Lana, are you ok? Is anyone hurt?"

When Lana spoke it felt to her like her voice was coming from a far off place. "It is you. It's really you."

"Yes, it's me but a lot has changed since the last time we saw each other."

His hair was sprinkled with silver, his jaw was ruggedly square and his nose had a slight bend that told of more than a few fistfights. His appearance in the cabin was all Marlboro man until he smiled and his wide mouth softening the hard chiseled edges of his face. But lines on his face didn't matter to Lana as she pitched her self at Whitney throwing her arms around him. Whitney's arms came around her and pulled her close.

Lana felt the liquid splatter on her face rub as it pressed against the fabric of Whitney's white parka. "I am getting blood on you."

"It's ok as long as it isn't your blood and not that this hug isn't nice but I really need an answer; now is everyone ok? No one is hurt?"

Lana pulled back and for the first time Lana looked over at Chloe, the Witness and the two little girls. "We are fine. No one is hurt. You got here just in time."

Whitney laughed, "Just in time? Give me a break, I came a long way and besides it's better late than never."

Lana squeezed Whitney tight digging her hands into his back. Whitney winced as her fingers found the deep grove Viktor Sidiak's 7mm bullet had made in his back.

"My God, you're hurt."

Whitney kissed the top of her head. "Lana its ok; besides you should see the other guy."

Lana's hands dropped and Whitney smiled, "I've got some special stuff in my body that the Weave Fleet doctors put in that helps me recover quickly. It works just as well for wounds from rifles as from a phaser blast."

Chloe came out of the corner of the basement and her expression turned to puzzlement as Whitney's sixty five year old face came into view. "Whitney, what happened to you?"

"Not now Chloe, just be assured that this face is all mine with no bio-sculpture."

"But…"

"Later Chloe, right now we have to get organized." Whitney took control of the situation, "Chloe, you keep the children and their mother back until I take the body out of here and out to the barn. To Lana he said, "You get upstairs and wash your face and hair. You really are a mess. I assume Lex Luthor filled you both in the second threat so we are going to be getting some additional visitors in a little while. They are my friends and I think it will be ok but when it comes to this trio of warriors one can never be sure."

He looked at Chloe, "I am sure you and the others will be ok but they are pretty angry with Lana so we have to get set up with a plan to try to defuse the situation but it will be pretty tense. For now Chloe you are going to have to stay in here and keep the mother and kids out of it. So immediate play is I will get rid of the body and Lana you go get yourself cleaned up."

Whitney turned and knelt down beside Viktor Sidiak's bloody corpse.

Chloe didn't want to baby sit when there was the only human being that had left the solar system right in front of her to interview so tried to play for an opening. "Whitney, it will be too heavy. I can help you get the body out to the barn."

Whitney with a twinkle in his blue eyes said, "My face might look sixty five and my body is really is sixty five but it works better than it did when I was scoring those touchdowns at Smallville High. So Chloe just take care of the mother and those kids and I will handle the disposal work."

Whitney rolled the body into a rug and a moment later slung it over his shoulder as if it was as light as a puppy before he disappeared out the door.

Lana and Chloe turned to each other and looked at the dazed expression that was on each of their faces. Chloe recovered first, "Lana there is blood all over your face. If the girls see you like this they will be be terrified. I will take care of them while you go get cleaned up. I am sure Whitney will be back in a couple minutes."

The body only took a few moments to store in the barn. Whitney felt the snow crunch under his boots as he walked back to the cabin. It felt kind of surreal but he realized he still had it. He had taken out Earth's most renowned assassin. He was still a Marine sniper even after forty years of fighting a war in space where he felt like Buck Rodgers.

Lana was toweling her hair dry while Chloe handed Whitney a mug of hot chocolate. Downstairs they could hear the Witness reassuring her children that the bad man was gone but they still had to stay in the basement until the police arrived.

"Ok Whitney start talking, why are these space aliens coming after Lana and why do you look so old and…"

Whitney held up his hand, "Zip it, Sullivan. We don't have time for the whole story or even the reader's digest version." He pointed a firm finger at Chloe, "You Ms Reporter are staying in the cabin. You are not going to take one step outside when Alisha and the Kzin twins arrive…"

"Who are Alisha and the Kzin twins? Why are they angry with Lana?"

"Zip it, Sullivan." Chloe tried to speak but got cut off again. "Zip it, I mean it. They don't like you and Lex Luthor either; after all they have heard the stories about Lex Luthor's investigation of Clark. And they know you traded information to Lionel Luthor about Clark but they are not going to kill you unless you provoke them. But don't forget this trio when it comes to Clark is easily provoked. So you are going to stay in the cabin and make sure the Witness and children stay in the basement. You can look out the window as an observer but that is it."

Chloe just smiled and nodded her head as she unconsciously looked over at her camera bag on the couch.

Whitney checked her line of sight and figured it out in a second. "And no photographs," Chloe tried again to protest but Whitney cut her off, "And I mean no photographs on pain of dead; your death. These are the most deadly warriors in the galaxy and they have long experience of dealing with anyone that aims a device at them. Your camera will look like a weapon and they will tear you to pieces before you have time to press the shutter even once. So only try to take a photograph if you are willing to die."

Whitney could tell Chloe was thinking about a pulitzer rather than losing her head so pointed over at Chloe's camera bag, "Choe listen to me. I am being as clear as possible, you point a camera at Alisha and the Kzin twins and they will kill you. Even with luck I will only be able to stop one of them. You set them off and after their attack on you they will kill Lana. So if you touch that camera both you and Lana will die."

Whitney's finger left the camera bag and now it pointed directly in Chloe's face. "I know what you are like Ms Reporter and you are just going to have to control it if you are going to stay alive. Here today curiosity will kill Chloe and not the cat. So the plan is Lana and I are going outside to wait for them to arrive. After we talk with them Lana can fill you in on everything, news about Clark and the rest of it but that will only happen if she makes it through this meeting alive. That means you do nothing that will trigger them or it will all end in a sea of blood."

Whitney turned to Lana who was now quickly running a brush through her still damp hair. "There is no other choice; we have to be outside and confront them in private. It's the only way to be sure that everyone in the cabin will be safe. I honestly think I can talk them out of it but they are pretty excitable. The Kzin as a species think honor is more important than anything and they are jumpy beyond belief. The Kzin are a predator species that evolved from pack hunters. Think of them as walking upright tigers that are intelligent enough to build starships that go faster than the speed of light. Yea, the complete freaking package when it comes to aggressive intelligent space aliens."

Whitney sighed and rubbed his temples, "But speaking of unpredictatble Aisha is in a leage of her own. She is going to be the truly dangerous one."

Chloe leaned forward inquisitively, "Why is she more dangerous than the other two? The twins, the tigers, Kzin is what you called them?"

Whitney shook his head, "Lana can fill you in later if it all works out," and he turned to Lana. "I will be outside and I want you out there in no more than a minute." He stepped out the door and left Lana and Chloe saying their goodbyes in a hug.

Whitney looked up at the sky and after a few moments Lana stepped onto the porch. "I had to make her promise but I think she will resist trying to take a photograph. You were pretty clear about the danger but this is Chloe Sullivan the most curious reporter on earth we are talking about."

Whitney tried to give Lana a reassuring smile, "I didn't exaggerate the danger but I do think it will be ok as long as I can get Alisha to reel in her emotions and you don't make any sudden moves that trigger the predator instinct of the Kzin twins. Actually you do look pretty calm."

Lana gave him a grim smile, "It's nice that I look it because inside I am petrified with fear. I can't believe that less than a half an hour ago I was looking down the barrel of a gun thinking that was going to be the last thing I ever see in my life. But now this crazy day just keeps going on." She wondered about the absurdity of it all, "Now Whitney you have to tell me why you are so much older; what is going on in space; where you and Clark have been; you have to tell me everything?"

Whitney looked up at the sky, "They will be here in less than an hour so we will only have time for a brief outline. Lex Luthor told me the three of you figured out Clark's secret and my mother confirmed it so I think I will first tell you about the Weave/Clove war. After that the reasons that Clark had to leave with his Uncle Thor-el and then what we all have been doing in space will be clear."

Whitney started to tell Lana everything that had happened to him since he was rescued by Puss'n'Boots, her father Chuut Ritt and Clark in North Korea. Lana for the most part stayed quiet as Whitney told the story of how two Smallville High graduates ended up fighting in a war in outer space.

Lana's eyes grew wide in amazement when Whitney told her about the spatial abnormity that kept Earth's time running so much slower than the rest of the galaxy. She couldn't believe it was a simple logical explanation from physics that explained the sixty five year old face of her first love. Lana didn't say anything but just stepped forward and cupped Whitney's aged face. "My God Whitney it is just so difficult for me to accept that you made the decision to make such a sacrifice? To give up your youth. You were always so vibrant and alive. So young at heart."

Whitney's skin might be lined but his blue eyes still twinkled at her. "Hey girl, my heart is still young and the price was well worth paying to have seen what I have seen, done what I have done and to have made the friends I have since I was busted out of that North Korean torture chamber."

Lana was chocking up. "It's just so heroic."

"Lana I am not a hero but I served with a lot of heroes and that includes the three that are on their way here."

Whitney paused and continued, "And of course my best friend, a son of both a planet called Krypton and a town called Smallville. We might have had our issues when we were both at Smallville High," Whitney grinned at her, "which mostly revolved around us both being in love with you but for the last forty years Clark Kent has been a hero to the galaxy and a best friend to me."

Lana wiped away a tear as she looked at her first love. "You really look good as a sixty five year old. I'll bet you and Clark are the two most distinguished looking men in outer space."

Whitney just shook his head, "Lana I have lived for forty years in space as since I was rescued from that North Korean prison camp four Earth years ago. Don't forget Clark left Earth during your senior year at Smallville High eight years ago. Eighty years have passed from Clark's perspective while he fought in space. In Earth terms Clark is closing in on a hundred years old."

Lana felt chills as what Whitney just told her came into focus in her mind's eye. "How can Clark at a century old still be fighting in space? Why hasn't he come home?"

Whitney smiled, "Because not only is he Clark Kent of Smallville he is Kal-el of Krypton. Lana my face looks like this but Clark is not originally from Smallville. He looks the exact same, well maybe he has filled out a bit more across the shoulders but he pretty much looks exactly like he did the day he left Smallville."

It was just too surreal and Lana still didn't get it. "How can that be?"

"You met Clark's Uncle Thor-el who took Clark away, right?" Lana just nodded her positive response. "Lana, Thor-el is over a thousand years old. Clark ages like Thor-el the same as the rest of the few Kryptonians still left in the universe. His mind and personality may be Smallville but his biology is Krypton. If it wasn't for the unpredictability of danger in war it would be certain that Clark would be around looking about the same as he always did long after the rest of us are gone."

Lana felt butterflies the size of B-52s start to do summersaults in her stomach. "Then is he coming back?" Lana caught her self and thought of how much time had passed, it was about eighty years from Clark's perspective. "After all this time in space does Clark even remember life in Smallville, does he remember what I did to him?"

"Oh he remembers all right, after all along with super strength and other powers comes a super memory. It is like everything happened not yesterday but just a few moments ago for Clark."

Lana looked down at her feet feeling the wave of guilt and shame. "Then time can never heal those wounds that Pete Ross lectured Chloe, Lex and I about the day Clark left? Then he will never be able to forgive us for any of it."

Whitney reached around Lana's shoulder and gave her a little squeeze. "Lana you never have to worry about Clark Kent forgetting how to forgive. You, Chloe and Lex Luthor were all forgiven the day Clark left Smallville. He is just sorry he can't come back and let you guys know that it's all ok. I know Clark wouldn't want you guys torturing yourselves with guilt."

Lana looked at Whitney and could see the honesty in his eyes. He at least believed what he was saying and instead of making her feel better she wouldn't have thought it possible but she felt even worse. Lana had suffered eight years of guilt but knowing Clark Kent as usual didn't blame her or even hold a grudge made her behavior to Clark feel even more petty and selfish. She had spent the last eight years punishing her self for what she had seen as a personal betrayal.

However, Clark didn't blame her. He had forgiven her eight years ago. It made her feel even guiltier that she had when she thought Clark hated her. The only way she would ever feel even a little less guilt was to be able to apologize to his face.

"Whitney, I can't tell you how guilty I have felt, in fact how all three of us have felt since Clark left Smallville. I have to set things right with him. I found out by accident so I know every few years he comes back to earth but I never get the chance to see him. I never find out he is in Smallville visiting his parents or Pete until after he leaves."

Lana looked deep into Whitney's eyes and asked the question he had been dreading, "Why can't I see Clark when he comes back to visit Smallville? I need to see him just once to set things right."

Whitney had been trying to formulate a response since the start of their conversation but he didn't come up with a satisfactory answer. When he paused Lana answered her own question, "I met Clark's Uncle Thor-el and he said that I was a threat to Clark and I was too dangerous to Clark to personally meet with him. Whitney, how could I, nothing more than a 110 pound girl be a danger to Clark who has been as long as we have known him a superman?"

Whitney dropped his eyes and then with a long sigh raised them to look at Lana. "I don't have an answer other than to say that Thor-el didn't lie or exaggerate to you. I can't tell you because to talk of Clark's weakness is a very powerful Kryptonian taboo. Only the Kryptonians talk about it and only very rarely to outsiders. It is not my secret to tell."

Whitney reached forward and cupped Lana's chin so she was looking directly into his eyes. "I can only tell you that it is not your fault. You have no control over it and that is all I can say; maybe someday you will be told by a son of Krypton but I am only human and can't discuss it with you."

Lana started to tear up but fought down her emotions. "Can you at least tell me if Clark is ever coming back and not for a visit but for good?"

"Lana, Clark is right now on the other side of the galaxy being the hero on a scale you can't imagine from where you are standing on this spinning little rock circling a star called Sol. This war is beyond simply important and not only to us but to the entire galaxy. I have to be honest and say the odds are that Clark will try one time too many to save the day but then he wouldn't have it any other way. Because of his Kryptonian biology he could survive the war and the years and come back to Earth but you know Clark when it comes to duty. So that is not where the war is setting the odds."

Lana's eyes narrowed and it scared her but she had to know so it was time to ask. "Whitney, if everything worked out, Clark survived this war and came home for good, would I still be a danger to him?"

Whitney looked at the tears welling up in Lana's eyes and knew he was going to break her heart. "Lana, I am very sorry but the weakness Clark has regarding you will never disappear. It came into being shortly after he left Smallville and around the time he started to fly…"

"Fly?"

Whitney explained, "Quite the superman isn't he? But even for a superman this weakness will never go away. If he comes back to Earth Clark will always be in danger around you."

"So you are confirming even if he came back I couldn't see him?"

Whitney thought for a second about Lana being in love with Jason eight years ago when Thor-el appeared in Smallville to save Clark from the certain death of a broken heart. This was a tricky question but after a few moments he answered Lana, "To be honest I can't say for sure. Clark had to leave Smallville eight years ago because he was in immediate danger but it appears that some things have changed," Whitney thought of telling Lana he knew about her divorce and he had killed her ex husband yesterday but decided now was not the right time to spring that news on her. "But the possibility of you, due to his weakness, killing him will always be there so the answer is unless he wants to risk death Clark really needs to keep away from you."

Lana felt her heart shatter and started to softly cry. Her dreams were dead. It was never going to happen. Even if Clark survived this horrible war in space and came back to earth for Clark's own safety Lana knew she could never see him.

Lana wiped her eyes, "I thought you would say something like that. I just can't believe I will never see him again."

The news that Clark would never be safe in her presence changed everything. Lana looked at Whitney and instead of a sixty five year old space war veteran she saw the golden haired boy that loved her with all his heart in junior year at Smallville High.

Those were great days of feeling safe, loved and dreaming of a future raising a family together. She could never see Clark again but standing her in front of her was a man that had always loved her.

Lana looked up, "But what about you? You are sixty five years old. Why are you still fighting this war? Don't they have retirement?"

Whitney laughed, "No, not for guys like me."

Lana wasn't smiling, "I can always tell when you are being less than truthful. They have retirement don't they? Its just that guys like you refuse to go."

Whitney admitted the obvious, "Busted!"

Lana couldn't believe it, some things never changed. "I remember years ago in the Talon the year after you left for the Marines I asked Chloe why we always are falling for guys that are trying to save the world. I just can't believe it is happening all over again."

Whitney was serious now, "Lana, Clark and I aren't trying to save the world. It's not trying; we are saving it and not just it but the whole galaxy. You never want to even imagine what would happen if the Clove ever found Earth."

"But these Clove you talk about aren't here. Now you are millions of miles away from this war." Lana in a few steps crossed the snow and fiercely hugged Whitney. "You don't have to go back. I can't lose you again. Not after discovering after all these years you are alive. I know Clark is going to keep fighting but he is not aging like you are. You have done your part so why can't you quit and stay here with me?"

Whitney let out an exuberated, "Lana!" but Lana continued without missing a beat. "I have felt so alone for such a long time. I know I have a good life with friends like Chloe, Lex and Pete but I still feel alone. I tried to get over feeling so emotionally detached from people and the world but even before my marriage failed I felt lonely and isolated every day. I just want it to stop. I want to go back to my junior year at Smallville High when life was so simple and secure. My last year with you."

Lana started to shake as she pulled Whitney closer and buried her face in his chest. "Please stay here with me. I want to get married and have children. I want a family and all you have to do is stay here with me."

Whitney held her close as Lana cried herself out. This was going to hurt her but there was really no choice. "Lana, I told you the last time I saw you that I loved you from the first moment I saw you and I will love you when I see you again. My feelings for you haven't changed but I have changed."

Whitney gently peeled Lana off his chest and held her shoulders and looked into tear filled eyes. "Lana, I am your first love but I am not the love of your life. Also you are my first love but not the love of my life."

Whitney let out a short laugh, "The irony is for both of us the love of our lives is a space alien. Yours is a son of Krypton and mine rescued me from a torture chamber in North Korea and then took me to the stars. She is far from human but forty years in space helps a human to develop an appreciation for variety; even variety in species."

A bitter sweet smile appeared on Whitney's face. "I love you Lana but not even for Lana Lang would I give up space to live on a spinning mud ball. Lana there is no way I can stay and it's not only because of Puss'n'boots."

Whitney saw the look of confusion on Lana's face, "Puss'n'boots is Kzin and the love of my life. You saw her once. She jumped out of the window of Clark's loft and ran across the Kent's barn yard. You were lucky. She still has dreams of tearing you apart instead of being forced to run. The only reason you are alive was Clark told her except for the Kents she had to avoid any contact with humans."

Lana with her mind's eyes from years ago brought into focus those huge yellow eyes and that blur of orange that leapt out the window into a twenty foot drop. Then the orange streak across the yard to disappear into the Kent's backyard.

"That tiger thing was a Kzin?" Lana saw the look on Whitney's face, "I'm sorry but space aliens are pretty new to me and Clark looks human." Lana gave an involuntary shiver, "So that is a Kzin; they sure look dangerous." Lana looked puzzled, "But you told me that you can't stay and Puss'n'Boots is not the only reason?"

"The reason I can't stay is the same reason that Clark can't come back to Smallville even if he didn't have any weakness. We have to stay in space to fight, as long as they exist. the Clove."

"But what is so important about this war?"

Whitney knew it was time to explain the war. The Weave never understood why they were attacked by the Clove. They captured Clove ships but the crews were always the genetically modified and conditioned foot soldiers and slaves. When such Clove crews were cut off from Clove space they went rogue as pirates but when in the Clove fleet they never acted independently or made major decisions.

No, behind the Clove crews controlling them was a hidden intelligence. A ruling class that was a unique species that ran the Clove's grand strategy. In the many battles over the centuries the Weave never captured or even were able to prove the existence of the unique species that was ruling the Clove.

There had always been rumors but no proof until after the battle for the Massood Planet and the war decisively turned in favor of the Weave. As the Weave fleet pushed deeper and deeper into Clove space the true nature of the Clove rulers came out of the darkness.

In the centuries of the war with the Clove it still amazed the Weave that there had never been any direct communication with the rulers of the Clove. Instead mind numbingly immense fleets had come out of Clove space in dead silence, indifferent to losses, grinding the defenses of one system after another to powder in a nonfeeling relentlessness that was horrible to witness.

The Weave had for a time thought that the Clove rulers were runaway machine life or artificial intelligence gone insane that was using conquered sentient organic beings as slaves and soldiers. It would have been better if it had been true but the theory of artificial machine rulers had been dispelled soon after pushing into the Clove's core solar systems.

The Clove rulers were organic and even more horrible than the Frankenstein robots of popular fiction because of course robots wouldn't have needed organic food. The Clove rulers were Arachnids; intelligent, unfeeling and always hungry. They looked like some obscene ally of spider and starfish, eight legged, hairy monstrosities that moved with a hideous flowing tarantula like gait.

The Clove Arachnids regarded conquered sentient beings a nothing more than a convenient source of proton. If they were not genetically engineered into being slaves or soldiers they were eaten.

The Weave which had thought for centuries there would never be large scale war in space just pesky pirates and criminals to hunt down but in witnessing the Clove fleet come out of the Delta Quadrant of the galaxy looking for food the Weave civilizations finally looked at true horror in the face.

Then it got even worse.

The Weave assumed, had to assume, that the Clove Arachnids gorged on the conquered sentient populations of planets until they finished them off. But then Clark and Thor-el took a star system deep in Clove space and found farms or ranches of sentient beings breeding as food animals that knew they were food animals.

It was beyond horror. The notion that the Clove Arachnids would actually raise sentient beings as a self sustaining herd of meat animals had not occurred to the Weave civilizations. When Whitney first saw the intelligence footage of the Clove ranches he could hardly have felt a greater sense of unreality if the screens had shown sacrificial victims being led towards a blood drenched altar or Jews being herded into gas chambers disguised as showers. Things like this weren't supposed to happen in star traveling civilizations.

The deeper the Weave fleet pushed into Clove space the worse it got.

The Clove Arachnids had dozens and dozens of solar systems in Clove space dedicated to the production of vast heads of sentient beings on planets that once were home to the flourishing civilizations of these same sentient food animals. Then the horror went up another notch. The Clove Arachnids preferred their pray living…and children were precisely the right size.

Now it was clear that the reason the Clove always took the surviving children of conquered planets prisoner was not just for slaves but also as living food for the Clove leaders: The Arachnids.

With this discovery the Weave realized that there were worse things for a sentient star traveling civilization than genocide and extinction.

Lana's shoulders shook as she silently cried and huge tears traced down her beautiful face.

Whitney's eyes were like ice as he said almost in a whisper, "Do you understand what would happen to Earth if the Clove found it? Do you understand why Clark won't be coming home and I have to go back?"

Lana softly answered, "It is horrible; simply horrible and I sound like such a selfish brat asking you to stay so we can get married. Just so I can finally have a family. I am so sorry but I can't help wanting it."

Whitney's face opened up into a warm smile. "I will admit from time to time dreaming a little dream of involves a family with a raven haired girl from Smallville. But you need to understand that in the end I am not a guy like Clark Kent. I would choose space even without the Clove war. You know who I am. I was always was the guy that wanted to get out of town before he became another "remember him" living on stories of past sports glory while working on a beer belly in the Wild Coyote bar."

Whitney's face got tight again and the lines deepened around his eyes. "Lana we now know what the Clove rulers are. That is why Clark and I are fighting this war. Not to defend our own particular races from the Clove Arachnids but to destroy them before they eat the galaxy hollow of everything individual consciousness has brought into it. The capacity to love…and. yes, to hate because some things ought to be hated. The capacity to recognize beauty and sometimes to even create it. Most of all the capacity to make moral choices including the ultimate choice of sacrificing that very individual consciousness in the name of what all of us recognize in one form or another, for what it is: honor."

"All of the different sentient races in the Weave, however different, have those things in common. This war exists to keep it alive in the galaxy and it's the reason that there will never be any treaties even if we could talk to the Clove Arachnids. There is no place for diplomacy with spiders that build space ships so they can travel to the stars to eat you. The only way this war is going to end is when we wipe those monsters from the face of the universe."

A melancholy smile crept onto Whitney's face, "That is why not even for Lana Lang having my children will I stay here with you. I must return to the stars."

Lana through her tears and looking at more years of being alone tried to give Whitney a brave smile. "Chloe is right, we always fall for guys that are trying," then she corrected herself, "I mean actually saving the galaxy."

"But today is not a saving the galaxy day but a save Lana Lang day." Whitney's eyes went cold and he became deadly serious. "You have to prepare yourself for meeting Aisha and the Kzin twins. The main thing is no matter what is said don't you talk back to them and that means nothing, not a single thing."

Lana was puzzled, "Talk back. How could I? I barely speak French let alone some alien language."

Whitney explained it to her, "They will most likely have on their universal translators so you will be able to understand them. The translators will be a little slow since English is not a standard galaxy language but they will work. To be frank Weave technology really is incredible. They will be insisting on taking your life and I will be arguing against and of course Clark is going to come up but no matter what is said you have to stay out of it."

"You can't ask for clarification on anything said even if it is about the relationship between you and Clark, Clark's weakness, the war, our relationship: nothing! Your survival depends on your turning into a invisible woman that fades into the background. The longer I can keep them talking the better the chances are they will calm down and come to their senses. Also you can't make any sudden moves since the Kzin have a hair trigger."

Whitney brushed his blond hair that was streaked with white back off his forehead. "The Kzin will look very scary but they are not as dangerous as Aisha. She will look cute as a kitten but don't let her looks fool you. She is a tiger disguised as a house pet. And although the Kzin have two inch canines and lethal claws and Aisha looks like a cute elf girl from a Japanese Hentai comic it doesn't mean given the chance she won't tear your lungs out through your nose and then beat you to death with them. Even without a weapon she is more than a handful for just about anyone."

"Whitney I have been studying martial arts for years and twice had to kill men. The last time was an Intergang hitman just a week ago, even if I say so myself I am pretty deadly."

Whitney snorted, "Aisha isn't a deadly hand to hand fighter; she is a lethal force of nature who laughs at the merely deadly. As for you twice killing men Aisha would have to think very hard and consult her diary to recall all the men she has killed so far in her life."

"Holy shitballs, why is she like that?"

"Simple, she has lived the life of Aisha the youngest Fleet officer to ever be awarded the Star Mount metal and not for just gallantry but for killing dozens of planetary pirates. When I was tossing around foot balls and you were waving pompoms Aisha at thirteen years old had her planet invaded by the Clove. That invasion got pretty horrible for Aisha. She saw her parents killed in front of her, lost her little sister and all her friends on the first day of the invasion. They captured her and the Clove were taking her off planet, maybe as a slave but being delicate and only thirteen it as more likely they were going to use her as living food for the Clove Arachnids. They never got a chance because with shear guts and nerve for anyone let alone a thirteen year old girl that just saw everyone she cared about killed Aisha escaped and joined the Massood resistance."

"When I first met her she was beat up waif of a girl missing an ear but nothing was going to stop her from going down fighting. She was holding a phase pistol crouched behind a propped up wounded Massood general and was all set to fight to the death in a last stand. It was Clark that commanded the Weave elite unit; the Crows that saved her Massood battalion from an ambush in the Valley of Tamarrion. The rest of us saw her feelings in a second. She fell in love with him on first sight and has been head over heels ever since."

Lana just had to ask, "So because she is thankful to Clark for saving her and her people she wants to do Clark a favor and kill me because he hates me?"

Whitney rolled his eyes, she just didn't get it. ""Don't you ever listen to me? Clark doesn't hate you. Lana, she doesn't want to kill you because Clark hates you but because he loves you."

Whitney looked up at the sky that soon would be host to a visit from a Weave space speeder. "Jealously is always complicated but also deadly when turned lose by a Massood."

"Why is that? How does that make them so different from us?"

"The Kzin have the propensity for incredible violence but are ultimately driven by honor. I am sure I will be able to reason with them that you are not a threat and there is no honor in killing you. All you have to do is keep your mouth shut and I mean that literally. If you show them your teeth they will see it as a challenge to a duel and then all bets are off. You just keep quiet and stay invisible until I calm them down."

"It is Aisha that will be tricky since she is Massood. See Lana not only is the galaxy's sentient species biologically different in appearance, levels of strength and so on they are also different in intelligence, way of thinking and most confusing emotionally."

"What do you mean emotionally?"

"Just that. They all experience the intensity of emotions to a different degree. The Massood are a species that are extremely emotional. They are not the most emotional in the galaxy but they are far more emotional that the average sentient star traveling species. They have maybe two or three times the emotional range of a human. You can only imagine how intensely an emotion like jealously hits a Massood. Actually that is not true. You don't have to imagine since Massood project their emotions."

This was just too weird for Lana, "Project their emotions?"

"Yes, it's the same concept as telepathy except instead of projecting thoughts to flesh out words and enhance communication the Massood when they verbally talk project their emotions for emphasis. They don't do it very often apart from conversations with other Massood but you will be able to feel Aisha's hate and jealously toward you. I am telling you this so you will be prepared and you can stay in control and not be tricked into reacting to it. Understand how much Clark means to Aisha and you will realize just how dangerous she really is so never forget when it comes to him Aisha has even a shorter fuse than the Kzin twins."

Lana hung her head in her hands and rubbed her face trying to make some sense of all this incredible information that was coming at her in endless waves. "I don't know if I can do this Whitney. There is part of me that wants them to kill me. It feels like death is the fate I deserve and besides poetic justice it would mean I don't have to feel guilty anymore about Clark."

Whitney was now getting scared, "Don't talk like that or even think like that. I didn't kill all those people in the last twenty four hours for you just to give up and choose to trigger Aisha and the Kzin to attack you. You have to live Lana and more than you realize depends on your staying alive. Sure there is the Intergang trial but also you staying alive means…." Whitney's voice faded off as he thought about how much he should tell Lana, Krypton taboo or not he was seriously thinking of just doing it and telling Lana about Clark's super emotions when she cut in.

"It's just that I feel that Clark deserves someone like this Aisha. When I think that the trauma she has gone through and how heroic she is in this space war. And I am not forgetting that she is actually out there in space with Clark so wouldn't he be better off with her?"

"Lana have you ever thought that maybe Clark should be the one that decides that rather than you, me, the Kzin twins or Aisha? Just dump the guilt and listen to me and all of us will get through this alive."

Whitney's combat instincts kicked in and he felt the hairs stand up on the back of his neck. Danger was in the air and he looked for it. As expected a Weave space speeder appeared out of the sky. Lana just stood there looking at her first space ship with her eyes as large as flying saucers. It came in so fast that it looked like it was literally falling faster than gravity could make it fall. What was eerie was the space ship didn't make a sound due to being in stealth mode.

"We don't have time to discuss any more so now all I want from you is your word that you will do your best to stay alive. And that means keeping quiet and listening to me. Now promise me you will try to live."

It took Lana a few tries and it came out kind of husky but she finally said, "I promise."

Whitney turned to her and with a little wink said, "That's my girl, now its show time. No quick movements and no matter what not a sound." Out of the corner of his eye Whitney saw the shades in the cabin window move so he called out, "And Chloe Sullivan if you are interested in keeping on breathing no photographs."

The Weave space speeder settled silently onto the snow and the shimmering white canopy covering the cock pit opened. It had been only for a few seconds years ago back on the Kent farm that since Lana seen the Kzin named Puss'n'boots jump out of the window of Clark's loft but instead of being surprised these Kzin looked exactly as she remembered.

The cockpit canopy hadn't even fully opened before the Kzin twins sprung out of the cockpit hitting the ground on separate sides and exploding into movement. Like the pack hunters they evolved from Sim and Suli split up each moving rapidly to cover the two flank vectors. The twins were a blur of orange and seemed to be skating across the snow covered ground yet they didn't make a sound except for a low snarl every couple of seconds.

Sim and Suli were a nightmare come to life in the light of day. They looked like orange ghost wraiths as they swept out to the flanks in a classic pack hunter instinctive positioning for the kill. It was obvious that when it came to up close and personal mayhem these Kzin were as dangerous as it gets.

Lana seriously thought she was going to lose control of her bodily functions. She stomach clenched as she thought of how embarrassing it would be to be tore to pieces by walking weretigers with her jeans full of shit. She had never been so scared before in her life.

Meanwhile Whitney of all things breathed a sign of relief. At least Sim and Suli were going for position and hadn't instantly charged Lana when they hit the ground. That would give him a few moments to get them talking instead of killing but where was Aisha?

A figure stood up in the cockpit. It was dressed in a dark space skin suit with the black visor helmet of a Crows squadron fighter jock. She was a slender but tempered sword blade of a girl. A living weapon. Two delicate hands appeared on each side of the helmet and lifted it off the Massood alien's head.

Lana Lang didn't really know what she was expecting but it wasn't a delicately beautiful elf child. The skin was snow white as was the long luxurious hair that tumbled into view. The eyes were large almond shaped deep pools that appeared to drink in the sunlight. The face was very young and the creature so exotically beautiful that Lana for a moment thought this intelligent sentient being just couldn't be real.

Aisha leaned down to her side and dropped the black visor helmet and when her fine boned hands appeared again they were holding a pulsar rifle. Whitney knew Aisha would have loaded the pulsar rifle with shredder darts so an open casket funeral was just not going to be in the cards.

The large exotic eyes locked onto Lana like leveled missile tubes. Aisha arched a graceful eyebrow as the pulsar rifle faster than a blur was suddenly pointed straight at Lana Lang's midsection. Lana could feel the Massood's emotions hit her as something almost physical, so hot and primed with vicious hate that such intense emotions must be boiling inside the long elf eared girl. It was then that Lana understood exactly how the peasants and farmers of the Middle Ages felt when they saw nomadic warriors ride out of the steppes looking on the tillers of the soil as simply another herd to be thinned.

Whitney's open hands went out of the sides to show he was unarmed. "Now stand down Lieutenant; that's an order."

Aisha didn't take her huge almond eyes off Lana and answered him with a voice colder than the heart of space, "With all due respect Major this isn't Weave space and we are not here as part of Fleet but as Clark's friends. You don't have any authority or jurisdiction and even if you did we have decided that Lana Lang has put Clark at risk for the last time. She has to….no, she deserves to die."

The translation software was pretty good and Lana could understand everything that was being said. Aisha even had a bit of a Midwestern Kansas accent. In the back of Lana's mind she made the connection that the accent was due to the Weave only having Clark and Whitney's Kansas raised voices to model for the English language.

"She is a civilian and what is the duty of all warriors?" Whitney knew if he could just get them talking for a few minutes he could save Lana. Aisha and the Kzin twins were not evil or cruel but just really emotional and worried to death about Clark. They all knew the answer but Whitney said it out loud. "We are warriors. It is our function to protect and defend civilians whatever race or species those civilians may belong to against such menaces as the clove Arachnids. It is also our function not to take life for petty vengeance."

Lana felt a shot of pure hate fly at her from the alien elf girl that felt like a vial of emotional acid being thrown in her face. "Lana Lang turned on you; you owe her nothing but a quick death. And she is an on going threat to Clark. It is time to neutralize this threat."

Suli snarled and added with a carnivore's grin, "If she is a threat to Clark then she is a threat to Fleet. It is duty for our claws to strike deep; to take her head. Honor demands it."

Whitney turned his attention to the Kzin out on their left flank. "This is not about honor but about you three taking revenge for something that is not even part of you. The honor of which you speak is part of Clark, myself and Lana Lang. It has been settled between us years ago so it is not about your honor but your vengeance."

Sim hissed out on the right flank. She was always the intellectual one and Whitney knew convincing her to break off this attack would be decisive. "Whitney, I will never understand why you persist in trying to apply ethical principles to such as this Lana Lang. A creature like her can never be amenable to such notions. Honor even as an unattainable theoretical concept is beyond her comprehension. Faced with such a threat to our comrade in arms Clark Kent from such as her you should simply kill her, not analyze her actions or motives. If you insist on clouding the issue of her threat with irrelevant moralizm then we can discuss it after we take her head. In the end you will agree that honor demanded her death."

Aisha added, "It is not only about honor but protecting Clark Kent. Doing what he cannot do but should for his survival."

"Survival! What do you know about Clark's survival? Do you have any idea what will happen when Clark learns that Lana Lang was killed due to the lot of you coming up with the twisted reasoning that killing her was needed to protect him?"

Sim was the elemental predator but she looked at Whitney with her intelligent yellow eyes. Whitney knew Sim was thinking hard but she still went for the rationalization, "As long as you are there to help him survive the attacks and there is the war on it is ok. Clark would never allow himself to die from an attack as long as the Clove is there to fight. I speak of Clark Kent, his duty and honor would win over the release of death."

Whitney went for the kill, "How do you know? Do you know his heart deep anguish? Do you have any idea of the agonies he inflicts on himself? Have you ever brought him back to the light when over whelmed by an attack he has withdrawn into a frozen numb cocoon?"

Sim didn't answer but raised one hand, palm uppermost and claws retracted to invite Whitney to continue. "During his last attack I found him in a huddled lump trembling in a futile defensive position against a threat he couldn't fight. I was terrified we were going to lose him then and there and he would simply go out like a light."

Suli cut in, "Honor comes to those who act with honor. If I don't act with honor my pack will spit on my shadow. Clark Kent is of my pack." Suli's huge predator eyes watched every part of Lana Lang's body and her claws flicked in and out of their sheaths in an automatic instinct the Kzin could not over come.

Lana mentally tried to will her disappearance, to fade into the background but it was hard to do with three pairs of alien eyes staring at her getting ready to slice and dice. She tried to stay calm and keep in control but butterflies mated in her midsection.

"Then protect your pack. If you hurt Lana Lang you do the Clove's work for them. And Aisha you are going to be one of the outstanding Fleet officers of your generation; you know what to do, just use your logic."

Aisha didn't want to think about it but instead wanted to unleash her tsunami of emotions by pulling trigger on her pulse rifle and watching the shredder darts turn Lana Lang into an explosion of blood. Instead Whitney was getting logical and Aisha shook her head like a boxer throwing off a left jab.

"Not today, logic is more often than not nothing more than a way of going wrong with confidence. This day requires honor not logic."

"He loves her, you know what that means."

"She doesn't deserve him."

"Who does?"

Aisha always tried to do her best to recognize where her duty lay and meet her responsibilities and every time she did the galaxy blew up in her face and she was sick to death about it. And today was no different.

Suli snarled, "Any one but Lana Lang. Honor comes to those that act with honor. When called by my comrades in arms I must answer for if my claws guard not your back whose claws shall guard mine?"

"The Kzin are a warrior race," Whitney said softy, "Has no Kzin ever acted dishonorably believing he acted with honor?"

Sim always the intellectual was silent for a long time and then her ears twitched unwilling assent. Whitney thought a very large mental thank you in Sim's direction.

Whitney smiled showing his teeth to tease them, "I love you all but sometimes when you guys get ideas like today you are a bit of a disappointment to me."

Aisha leaned forward sighting down the pulse rifle. To Lana the alien elf girl felt like a pile of fissionable material that was rapidly reaching critical mass. The Massood girl's hate reached out but no longer burning like slow acid. Now her emotions were a fiery heat burning into Lana as if from a door of an opened furnace.

Whitney's eyes locked on Aisha, "You can not fight with honor if you act contrary to your honor."

Aisha tried to answer him but the words chocked in her throat like slivered glass and a small self pitying inner voice inside her railed against the universes unfairness. Then to Whitney's astonishment she slowly nodded and the barrel of the pulse rifle slipped off Lana Lang and down toward the snow covered ground.

Lana released a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding for a very long time.

The shadows still lurked in the Massood elf girl's huge almond shaped eyes but the killer ghosts had retreated.

Sim snarled at Whitney and spoke for all of them, "My claws are your claws and your cause is just. There is no dishonor in death and no honor in flight. There is no honor here so we go home." With a flick of an ear shrug Sim turned toward the space speeder.

Suli in a soft growl and said, "I feel like some clawless club," but she also turned and started back to Aisha and the space speeder.

Whitney turned to a horrified but relieved Lana Lang and rolled his eyes, "I told you they were ok. Warriors operating at this level are always a bit twitchy. Please don't think too badly of them. I know they are scary if you are not used to them but if you ever get caught in a fight in the stars they are the comrades you want at your side."

Lana gave a sigh of relief, "That experience was like the few seconds of terror earlier today when I was staring into the barrel of the assassin's pistol stretched into a fifteen minute conversation."

"I will be honest with you for a while there Aisha really scared me. She is just so emotional when it comes to Clark. And also being Massood Aisha is pretty clear about her feelings toward enemies. She sees them in only two ways. Enemies that have been dealt with and enemies that are still alive. She will leave with me; I will see to that but she will always view you as unfinished business."

Lana's voice trembled, "Now? You going back with them. No! You just got here. Whitney you can't leave now."

Whitney with a sorry smile said, "I am sorry Lana but I have to leave. I am still on the books as a black opts sniper missing in action in North Korea. Both me and that space ship; you know the one with the three space aliens in it have to get out of this valley before anyone official shows up. All we need to do is a brief stop at the Metropolis Airport to pick up my AWM Lapua magnum."

A puzzled look appeared on Lana's face. Whitney explained it to her, "An AWM Lapua is my sniper rife. Pete and I couldn't bring it the airplane so I had to borrow a rifle from the CIA." Lana just looked more confused. "Lex Luthor and Pete will fill you in on the details. But that does remind me; martial arts and pepper spray are fine but you really need to learn how to shoot, expecially the way you keep finding trouble."

Lana sheepishly shrugged her shoulders, "I don't find trouble; trouble pretty well knows where I am most of the time."

Whitney with a chuckle said, "I think along with trouble we are all aware of that. Just do all us rescue types a favor and learn how to shoot. I am sure Lex Luthor with his contacts can put you into touch with a good teacher."

Whitney briefly looked over to the Weave space speeder where the heroic trio was waiting for him. "After I pick up my sniper rifle I will say goodbye to my mother while the others visit the Kent farm to meet Clark's family have some apple pie for Aisha and chilled cow blood for the Kzin twins."

He looked back at Lana who now had a few white snowflakes resting on her long black eye lashes. Once again Lana pulled him into a hug, "I know this war is important but it doesn't change the fact you are sixty five and you have done your part."

Lana's voice started to break, "It's just I don't know if I can go on. Go back to being so alone while knowing you and Clark are alive but neither of you are in my life."

"Lana I can't stay. I need the Weave and I need space. I am very sorry you feel so alone but I am not the answer. I could never stop you from feeling alone freshman year so why would now be any different? I once had a silly dream at a bus station but that was a long time ago. I would love to marry you and have a family of all girls since every one of them would look like you but I have to answer the call of the stars."

Whitney let go of Lana and held her shoulders so he could look into her doe eyes, "Lana, you will find love again in your life. Of that I am certain. You deserve it and as for children I know you would make a great mother so never say never."

Whitney kissed her on the lips and then on the forehead. Her hair was still damp when he finally kissed her on the top of her head. Lana knew in a few moments Whitney was going to climb into a space ship and leave her all alone.

"Whitney you know I love you but if you could for me, please, when you see him could you tell him…." Lana paused, unable to find the words but Whitney knew. He nodded and said, "I will,"

Lana dropped her eyes for a minute and then once again looked into the eyes of her first love, "Whitney, I feel terrible when we were together and after you left we never spoke about Clark…"

Whitney just gave her a crooked grin and cupped her cheek. "Never mind favorites, you are allowed to have one. The point is Lana Lang has always been mine."

Lana hugged Whitney like she wanted to be a mommy. Then like smoke Whitney slipped out of her arms and turned to quickly walk to the Weave space speeder. The raven haired girl and the mountain air smelled sweet and he would miss them both but for the small town sports hero the universe was spread out before him waiting to be discovered again and again.

The cockpit canopy came down and Whitney with the alien warriors beside him that came so close to killing her disappeared from Lana's view. A moment later the Weave Space speeder rose silently into the air and in a few seconds disappeared into the sky heading to the cold vacuum of space.

It was the last time Lana Lang ever saw Whitney Fordman but it wouldn't be the last time the Quarterback would save her life.

To be continued as Part 58: On Death Ground!

From Sun Tzu's The Art of War (circa 400 B.C.): "On difficult ground, press on; on encircled ground, devise stratagems; but On Death Ground, fight."


End file.
